{"id":234,"date":"2012-08-26T00:00:01","date_gmt":"2012-08-26T04:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/?p=234"},"modified":"2012-08-25T12:26:52","modified_gmt":"2012-08-25T16:26:52","slug":"chapter-thirty-four","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/?p=234","title":{"rendered":"Chapter Thirty-Four"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Humans like to believe that they are somehow above the other apex predators that evolved on Old Earth.\u00a0 We as a species like to believe that we are civilized because we have laws that codify our conduct, that we don\u2019t run about murdering each other for a cookie or a toy.\u00a0 The fact of the matter is that our civilization is an illusion and the idea that wars are not fought over cookies and toys is utter and total fantasy.\u00a0 We have lied to ourselves for generations that wars begin because of ideals when, in fact, they begin over grand prizes\u2014women, land, resources\u2014if you can put a name to a material thing, humans have fought over it since the dawn of time.\u00a0 So much for civilization making us better than that from which we came.<\/h3>\n

— Erich Quizibian, Roots of Disaster: Predicting the Death of the Human Race<\/em>, c. 5073 PD<\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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

\u201cHow long?\u201d\u00a0 America asked softly as she leaned over Alana\u2019s shoulder at the pilot\u2019s console.<\/p>\n

Alana shook her head slightly.\u00a0 \u201cAnother thirty-six hours at least.\u00a0 I\u2019m not sure exactly what the course he laid was, but as long as we don\u2019t get yanked out by something at the Whispers, we should be home soon.\u00a0 If we get yanked out at Whispers, it\u2019ll be at least another ten hours to a jump point.\u00a0 System\u2019s a walking astronavigation hazard.\u201d<\/p>\n

And yet it\u2019s the only gateway to outlying systems like Eridani Trelasia.\u00a0 Anyone who wants to get there has to make it through the Whispers first.\u00a0 <\/em>Ezra tried to smother a smile.\u00a0 There were stories that said the Wanderers had chosen the Whispers as one of their strongholds simply because the system was difficult to navigate.\u00a0 It had been settled in the era of Farragut and LeSarte\u2014there were even rumors that they\u2019d found shelter at the Whispers for a time.<\/p>\n

\u201cKnowing Brendan, he plotted it close,\u201d Ezra said, rising from his spot next to the unconscious pilot.\u00a0 His friend\u2019s vital signs hadn\u2019t wavered in the last forty-eight hours, which was probably a good sign, though it was hard to tell with these scenarios.\u00a0 Anytime an implant malfunctioned, there was the distinct possibility that there was more going on than what they were aware of.<\/p>\n

Beyond the viewports was the mottled gray of jumpspace.\u00a0 Ezra stared at it for a moment before he shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cDo you know how close we are to the Whispers now, Alana?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot sure.\u00a0 Could be passing through it right now, could be a dozen light-years out.\u201d<\/p>\n

The viewport suddenly flared white.<\/p>\n

The ship bucked.\u00a0 Metal screamed.\u00a0 Ezra and America flew across the cabin as it abruptly tilted at a forty-five degree angle, the artificial gravity not strong enough to compensate for the sudden stress.\u00a0 Brendan and Grant tumbled from the bunks; Grant came awake with a shout.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat the hell is going on?\u201d he bellowed, taking his wife by the arm and picking her up off the deck.<\/p>\n

Alana grasped the console with one hand, knuckles white, her brows knitting as she tried to make sense of the readings.\u00a0 \u201cWe hit a gravity well that shouldn\u2019t have been where it was,\u201d she snapped.\u00a0 \u201cGive me a minute and I\u2019ll be able to tell you more.\u00a0 There\u2019s a lot of crap going on right now in the system that doesn\u2019t make sense.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ezra shook his ringing head and crawled across the deck toward Brendan, not quite willing to trust his feet yet.\u00a0 \u201cSo we just got yanked out of jump?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cViolently,\u201d Alana said, her tone dry.\u00a0 \u201cGive me a minute.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brendan\u2019s eyes were open, tiny crescents as Ezra made it to him.\u00a0 A little blood trickled from the pilot\u2019s nose and his lips barely moved as he whispered, \u201cWhat just happened?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot sure,\u201d Ezra told him.\u00a0 \u201cCan you get back up into the bunk?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ezra slid his arm under Brendan\u2019s shoulders and helped his friend heave himself back into the low bunk.\u00a0 The pilot was tight-lipped and pale by the time he was horizontal again but his bloody nose was already stopping.<\/p>\n

Must have been from smacking his head on the deck.<\/em>\u00a0 \u201cGoing to check your pupils,\u201d Ezra warned, digging a penlight out of his pocket.<\/p>\n

Brendan groaned, but didn\u2019t look away.\u00a0 \u201cFine.\u00a0 Where are we?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Whispers, maybe,\u201d Ezra said, glancing back over his shoulder toward Alana for confirmation.<\/p>\n

She wasn\u2019t paying attention to either of them.\u00a0 Grant and America clustered around her, blocking his view of the windows, but he caught a glimpse of all three looking pale.<\/p>\n

His stomach dropped.\u00a0 Not good.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cEz?\u201d<\/p>\n

He shook himself and turned back to Brendan.\u00a0 \u201cJust let me check something, then I\u2019ll give you something to help you get back to sleep.\u201d\u00a0 Not sure if that\u2019s the best course, but right now I\u2019m not sure either of us can handle him awake and asking a lot of questions right now.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cJust give me the sedative,\u201d Brendan mumbled, eyes sliding shut.\u00a0 \u201cI know a crisis when I sense one.\u00a0 Might as well sleep through it if I can\u2019t be helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ezra shivered and shook his head, giving his friend a quick once-over despite the request.\u00a0 Other than Brendan being awake and the minor nosebleed, there wasn\u2019t any change.<\/p>\n

But the fact that he woke up when he hit the deck was a good sign.<\/em>\u00a0 He prepped a dose of sedative.<\/p>\n

The ship slewed sideways abruptly.\u00a0 Ezra caught himself with a shoulder against the wall and one hand curling around the edge of the bunk.<\/p>\n

\u201cBetter strap me down,\u201d Brendan muttered even as Ezra started to sedate him.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Ezra said.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll get right on that.\u201d\u00a0 If something else doesn\u2019t go wrong.<\/em>\u00a0 Dumping the empty sedative canister into his kit, he yanked the crash webbing down across Brendan and the bunk before he levered himself to his feet.<\/p>\n

Grant and America had strapped themselves into two of the seats nearer to the console.\u00a0 Ezra braced himself against one of them, peering past Alana and out into space.\u00a0 He could see white hulls in the distance and a planet beyond them.\u00a0 Light flashed from the ships above down toward the planet.<\/p>\n

Then the screams hit and he jerked back, half landing on America in her seat, half meeting open air.\u00a0 He tumbled to the deck and sat for a moment, stunned.<\/p>\n

Planetary bombardment,<\/em> he realized dimly as the mental screams echoed inside his skull.\u00a0 Those ships are killing the planet.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 They\u2019re killing the Whispers.<\/em><\/p>\n

He swallowed bile.\u00a0 \u201cWho are they?\u201d he asked, his voice shaky.\u00a0 I knocked Brendan out just in time\u2014either to not hear them, or to have nightmares about them.<\/em>\u00a0 He closed his eyes briefly.\u00a0 I\u2019m sorry, Brendan.\u00a0 Never would wish something like that on you.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cCan\u2019t tell,\u201d Alana said.\u00a0 \u201cNot getting any IDs on them and they\u2019re too damn far out for any visual markers.\u00a0 They\u2019ve scattered the asteroids.\u00a0 That\u2019s what yanked us out\u2014a really big chunk of rock.\u201d<\/p>\n

Must\u2019ve been a massive chunk to yank us out.<\/em>\u00a0 Ezra glanced up toward America.\u00a0 \u201cAre you okay, Meri?\u201d<\/p>\n

White-lipped, she nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI will be.\u00a0 Any closer, I don\u2019t think any of us would be.\u201d\u00a0 She reached past Ezra and grasped Grant\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n

Ezra found his feet, jaw tight.\u00a0 \u201cWhat should we do?\u201d he asked as he grasped the back of Alana\u2019s seat, leaning toward the console, toward the windows.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got two options,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cWe either try to get closer and do what we can\u2014if we can\u2014and hope we don\u2019t get blown out of the sky, or we try to clear the system before someone realizes we\u2019re here.\u201d<\/p>\n

He began to ask why she sounded like the first option wasn\u2019t a viable one, then his eyes lit on drifting debris that was still smoldering.<\/p>\n

More than one ship died here today.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHell,\u201d he said in a soft voice.\u00a0 \u201cThey killed everyone they saw in the system on the way in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo witnesses,\u201d Alana said.<\/p>\n

Damn.<\/em>\u00a0 \u201cWho would do it?\u201d he breathed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe question should really be who wouldn\u2019t<\/em>,\u201d America said, her voice as quiet as Ezra\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet as many readings and visuals on those ships as you can, Alana,\u201d Grant said.\u00a0 \u201cThe Foundation may need them.\u00a0 The Guard will<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ezra tried not to wince.<\/p>\n

You knew a war was coming, Ezra.\u00a0 This is only the first salvo.\u00a0 You had to know that.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll have to tell the Marshals as soon as we make the system,\u201d he found himself saying.<\/p>\n

Alana shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 Nothing over channels.\u00a0 We\u2019ll tell them face to face and we\u2019ll hand them this shuttle\u2019s logs in person.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey need to be warned, \u2018lana.\u201d<\/p>\n

She glared at him even as she angled the ship between a piece of hull bigger than their shuttle and a rocky asteroid that wasn\u2019t much smaller.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, they do, but I don\u2019t want D\u2019Arcy Morgause getting his hands on this before the Marshals do.\u00a0 I don\u2019t want him to be in control of this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ezra\u2019s mouth went dry.\u00a0 \u201cWhy not?\u00a0 Do you think he would do something\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he would do nothing<\/em>, and that\u2019s what concerns me.\u201d\u00a0 Alana\u2019s jaw set, her teeth grinding.\u00a0 \u201cThe man\u2019s a snake and I don\u2019t trust him.\u00a0 He\u2019s not the spymaster we need.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut he\u2019s the one we have,\u201d Ezra said, resting his hand on her shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t like it, either.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alana just shook her head, staring out at the debris and the ships in the distance.\u00a0 \u201cHe won\u2019t care that the Whispers is dead.\u00a0 He might not even believe it when we tell him.\u201d<\/p>\n

He shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cThen we make everyone else believe.\u00a0 At some point, he\u2019ll either have to believe, or he\u2019s not going to be of any use to anyone at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019ll say we dummied it,\u201d Alana said, anger threading tension through her voice, through every muscle.\u00a0 \u201cThat it\u2019s just sensationalism, if we get reports from the outside.\u00a0 That it\u2019s all exaggerated.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ezra squeezed her shoulder gently. \u201cWe have to trust the Council to see through whatever he says.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan we?\u201d\u00a0 Alana whispered, eyes bright with tears she\u2019d never let present company see her shed.\u00a0 \u201cCan we take that risk?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPrepare for the worst,\u201d Grant rumbled behind them.\u00a0 \u201cHope for the best.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ezra nodded mutely.\u00a0 That was their only chance.<\/p>\n

America unfolded slowly from her seat and headed for one of the consoles.\u00a0 \u201cWell,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cI suppose it\u2019s time I figure out if I\u2019ve still got the technical skills I used to.\u00a0 Maybe I can get us some better images with the sensors.\u201d\u00a0 After a moment of studying the console, she crouched and yanked one of the panels free, fingers reaching inside, into the board\u2019s guts.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow many hours until we can jump?\u201d\u00a0 Grant asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cSix hours to the jump point,\u201d Alana said, shaking her head.\u00a0 \u201cBetter than it could be, but we\u2019re still going to have to clear the debris field and make our run.\u00a0 Sensors aren\u2019t showing anything alive in our path, though.\u201d\u00a0 The commando glanced up at her uncle.\u00a0 \u201cWe have to hope it stays that way, because I don\u2019t know if we can fight our way clear of this system.\u00a0 We were rigged for speed, not for a fight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ezra shivered, still leaning against Alana\u2019s seat.\u00a0 \u201cI guess I\u2019d better spend the next six hours praying, then,\u201d he murmured.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t talked to God in a long time\u2014not since his father died.<\/p>\n

Dad would say He doesn\u2019t forget.\u00a0 I hope he was right about that.<\/em><\/p>\n

Alana reached up and squeezed Ezra\u2019s hand.\u00a0 He shot her a weak smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything helps,\u201d she said, her voice a bare whisper.<\/p>\n

All he could do was nod.\u00a0 His gaze trailed toward the windows again.\u00a0 It looked like the Whispers was burning.\u00a0 The screams were still echoing softly in his head, though dimmer now, quieter.<\/p>\n

Most of the population was already dead, then.<\/p>\n

\u201cBastards,\u201d he whispered as he stared out the window.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019re going to pay. \u00a0Somehow.\u00a0 Someday.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSomeday soon,\u201d Grant Channing confirmed, his voice soft and deadly.\u00a0 \u201cAnd the price will be high indeed.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Humans like to believe that they are somehow above the other apex predators that evolved on Old Earth.\u00a0 We as a species like to believe that we are civilized because we have laws that codify our conduct, that we don\u2019t … 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-234","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-3M","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234","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=234"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":235,"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234\/revisions\/235"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=234"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=234"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=234"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}