{"id":302,"date":"2013-01-13T00:00:31","date_gmt":"2013-01-13T05:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/?p=302"},"modified":"2013-01-13T00:01:45","modified_gmt":"2013-01-13T05:01:45","slug":"two","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/?p=302","title":{"rendered":"Two"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The greatest gift Sarah Farragut ever had to give was her love.\u00a0 Her capacity for it was as boundless as her wisdom to know who deserved it and who deserved a swift kick in the ass.\u00a0 Often, I found myself with the dubious honor of being the recipient of both, sometimes at the same time.<\/h3>\n

— Ryland LeSarte<\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

Cool fingers wrapped around his as he lay on his stomach, his head pounding dimly.\u00a0 He could feel warmth wash over him and he took a deep, quiet breath before he opened his eyes, squinting against light that still seemed too bright even though intellectually, he knew it was very dim.\u00a0 \u201cHi Lin,\u201d he murmured softly, squeezing her fingers.\u00a0 \u201cWhen is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Lindsay smiled down at Commander Brendan Cho, gently brushing the fingers of her free hand across his forehead.\u00a0 \u201cNine days since you came home.\u00a0 How\u2019re you feeling?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLike I could take my head off and carry it around underneath my arm like a ball,\u201d Brendan murmured.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019d probably be more comfortable.\u00a0 Do I look as terrible as I feel?\u201d<\/p>\n

She laughed quietly.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 No, you don\u2019t, Brendan.\u00a0 You actually look\u2026well, pretty normal except for the raccoon eyes right now.\u201d\u00a0 She leaned in and kissed his ear gently.\u00a0 He exhaled, slumping a little against the mattress and squeezing her fingers again.\u00a0 \u201cEzra said you can come home in a few days as long as nothing pops up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing like what?\u201d\u00a0 He murmured.\u00a0 \u201cInfection?\u00a0 Something else?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe more like something else.\u00a0 He wants me to mostly be around for the first few days, to keep an eye on you.\u201d\u00a0 She stroked his temple with the backs of her fingers, smiling down at him.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019ve spent the past week trying to keep me distracted and now they want me to turn around and think about nothing else.\u00a0 Ironic, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n

Brendan smiled, bloodshot eyes glimmering.\u00a0 \u201cI wouldn\u2019t mind a couple days shut away with you.\u201d\u00a0 He rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand.\u00a0 \u201cI missed you, Lin.\u00a0 Was afraid I\u2019d never see you again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou promised me you\u2019d come home.\u00a0 I knew you wouldn\u2019t break that promise.\u201d\u00a0 She leaned forward, crossing her arms along the edge of the mattress and looking him in the eye.\u00a0 She ruffled his hair gently, expression softening.\u00a0 \u201cThings are starting to happen.\u00a0 It\u2019s all beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s happening?\u00a0 What you saw?\u00a0 What we<\/i> saw?\u201d \u00a0He felt sick all of a sudden, bile rising as he thought of the visions that had knocked her flat for days, the visions that were the harbingers of war to come.\u00a0 Not a good time for me to feel like shit on a cracker.\u00a0 Can\u2019t afford that.\u00a0 Not enough combat pilots.\u00a0 Not enough people to train combat pilots.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Shit.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got work to do and I went and scrambled my own brains and now I can\u2019t do it.\u00a0 Not right now, anyway.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cNot yet.\u00a0 But there\u2019s rumblings.\u201d\u00a0 She brushed a fingertip along his jaw.\u00a0 \u201cSomeone attacked the Whispers.\u00a0 It\u2019s\u2026it\u2019s just gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Whispers?\u00a0 Who the hell would have it out for the Whispers?\u00a0 The Wanderers never bothered anyone and the Whispers is barely worth the rock it\u2019s carved from.<\/i>\u00a0 Brendan\u2019s brow furrowed.\u00a0 \u201cWho did it?\u00a0 Do we know?\u201d<\/p>\n

Lindsay shook her head slightly.\u00a0 \u201cWe don\u2019t.\u00a0 Not yet.\u00a0 Reports say there aren\u2019t many survivors.\u00a0 Some are on their way here, but we don\u2019t know how many.\u00a0 Initial reports were saying there weren\u2019t any, but we found out that was wrong.\u00a0 A Mission Systems ship headed in on a sweep of the system to try to corroborate the data that you guys brought back.\u00a0 They foundsome survivors, but we\u2019re not sure how many yet.\u00a0 They should be landing soon.\u201d\u00a0 She continued to stroke his cheek gently.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m probably going to help process them.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been doing that kind of thing lately.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReally?\u201d\u00a0 Brendan struggled to raise an eyebrow at her, feeling sluggish.\u00a0 \u201cHave there been a lot of refugees?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA shipload of Compact refugees.\u00a0 A lot of kids, Brendan.\u00a0 Maybe half of them were under fifteen.\u00a0 Most of the rest weren\u2019t much older.\u201d\u00a0 She sighed quietly, brow creasing.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s hard, listening to them talk about what they were facing, what they ran from.\u00a0 They want to be here, though.\u00a0 Because it\u2019s safe for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut for how long?\u201d\u00a0 Brendan whispered, brow furrowing slightly.\u00a0 \u201cHave you seen anything?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d she said softly.\u00a0 \u201cNot about a war.\u00a0 Nothing like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

His brow furrowed.\u00a0 \u201cBut you\u2019ve seen other things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lindsay nodded.\u00a0 \u201cNothing that important.\u00a0 Most of it\u2019s already happened.\u00a0 I saw them carrying you off the ship.\u00a0 That was the one I worried about.\u00a0 Because it was about you and I didn\u2019t know\u2026well.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t know what had happened or anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brendan nodded slightly and winced as pain spiked from the back of his skull straight through, like a spike shoved from the base of his skull all the way through to between his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cOoh,\u201d he hissed, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment.\u00a0 \u201cRemind me not to do that again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I think so.\u201d\u00a0 He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.\u00a0 \u201cI just need to remember not to move my head for a little while, that\u2019s all.\u00a0 That hurt like a son of a bitch.\u201d\u00a0 He opened his eyes again, hand inching toward her face.\u00a0 \u201cDid he get it all?\u00a0 I don\u2019t have to go under again, do I?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, he got it all,\u201d Lindsay said, kissing his fingers as they quested near her chin.\u00a0 \u201cLike I said, you can come home in a few more days.\u00a0 It\u2019ll be nice to have you home. It\u2019ll be nice to be<\/i> home.\u201d<\/p>\n

His brow creased slightly.\u00a0 \u201cYou haven\u2019t been home?\u201d\u00a0 Why wouldn\u2019t she be at home?<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I\u2019ve been staying with Aunt Rachel and Uncle Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

Uncle Adam\u2026that still confuses me.<\/i>\u00a0 \u201cSince when is Marshal Windsor \u2018Uncle Adam,\u2019 Lin?\u00a0 I don\u2019t get that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh,\u201d she said softly, the word little more than an exhaled breath.\u00a0 \u201cYeah\u2026I forgot.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou forgot?\u201d\u00a0 Forgot what?\u00a0 That he was your uncle somehow?\u00a0 Or that I didn\u2019t know?\u00a0 Or that you hadn\u2019t told me?<\/i>\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t know you were related to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u00a0 He and Aunt Rachel\u2026well.\u00a0 They kept it a secret for a long time.\u00a0 There was no way for you to know because no one talked about it.\u00a0 They\u2019ve been apart for most of my life.\u00a0 They\u2019re finally\u2026not apart anymore.\u201d\u00a0 She brushed her fingers through his hair.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry I never told you.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t supposed to.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour mother told me they were married,\u201d Brendan said distantly.\u00a0 \u201cI kind of thought she was joking.\u00a0 It just\u2026didn\u2019t make any sense.\u00a0 Marshal Windsor and Rachel.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve been Bonded for thirty years, Brendan.\u00a0 Since before we were born.\u00a0 They kept it a secret from everyone.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know why they stopped being together.\u00a0 I just remember him leaving to set up a new base and her being sad and cutting her hair and him not coming back.\u00a0 It was before you crashed, though not that long.\u00a0 After that, I just kind of stopped thinking about it.\u201d\u00a0 Lindsay shrugged a little.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019re back together, now.\u00a0 They both seem a lot happier.\u201d\u00a0 She stroked his hair again.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve been staying there because I didn\u2019t want to be alone.\u00a0 Marshal Rose is staying with them, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd your parents, too, now?\u201d<\/p>\n

Lindsay laughed a little.\u00a0 \u201cYeah.\u00a0 It\u2019s getting crowded, so it\u2019ll be nice to get home.\u00a0 With you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brendan smiled a little.\u00a0 \u201cEzra said a few days?\u201d\u00a0 It didn\u2019t feel like he\u2019d be ready to move in a few days, but Ezra wasn\u2019t often wrong about these things.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u00a0 Did you want to talk to him about it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMm.\u00a0 Later.\u00a0 Where is he, anyway?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he\u2019s checking on some batches of tissue he cultured for Alana.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tissue for Alana?<\/i>\u00a0 \u201cIs she all right?\u201d\u00a0 As much as they didn\u2019t get along most of the time, the last thing that Brendan ever would have wanted to see was the deadly blonde hurt.\u00a0 It\u2019s only been nine days since we got back.\u00a0 Did she get hurt on the run and I didn\u2019t know, or did something happen\u2014<\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Damnation, did something happen here?<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, no, it\u2019s nothing like that.\u201d Lindsay smiled.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s fine.\u00a0 She\u2019s just finally getting her arm taken care of.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brendan\u2019s brow furrowed.\u00a0 \u201cReally?\u201d\u00a0 With a war coming?\u00a0 She\u2019s going to get that deconstructed?<\/i>\u00a0 He had no doubt that Alana would be as good as new by the time Ezra was done with her, but limb reconstruction took time, and Alana\u2019s arm had been the way it was for decades.\u00a0 Won\u2019t make her that much less deadly to not have the neurotoxin injectors in her fingers, but still.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, really.\u00a0 I guess she\u2019s finally tired of being a soldier.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brendan laughed weakly.\u00a0 \u201cShe picked a terrible time to retire.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOr a perfect time.\u201d\u00a0 Lindsay smiled wryly.\u00a0 \u201cToo bad you\u2019re too young for that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brendan choked on his laugh, reaching up and combing his fingers through her hair.\u00a0 \u201cWould you really want me to retire, Lin?\u00a0 I haven\u2019t given nearly enough back to the Foundation for what it\u2019s done for me.\u201d\u00a0 He rested his palm against her cheek.\u00a0 \u201cBesides, how am I supposed to keep you safe if I retire?\u201d<\/p>\n

She laughed weakly.\u00a0 \u201cOutside of a cockpit,\u201d she answered, kissing his palm.\u00a0 \u201cBut I think Uncle Adam might have a coronary if you retired.\u00a0 He\u2019s already antsy for you to get back to training pilots.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brendan snorted softly.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019ll happen sooner than I\u2019ll get back into the cockpit,\u201d he admitted.\u00a0 \u201cHas he complained at all about how the training\u2019s been going since I was gone?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Lindsay said.\u00a0 \u201cBut I can ask him to come see you if you really want to know.\u201d\u00a0 She smiled a little, starting to stroke his hair again.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019ll probably yell, though.\u00a0 Wonder why you wanted to talk to him instead of me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBusiness and pleasure.\u201d\u00a0 Brendan smiled, closing his eyes for a moment.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve got a job to keep you safe and I can\u2019t do that unless the pilots are good enough to not crash into each other while they\u2019re shooting down the bad guys.\u00a0 Hopefully they won\u2019t have to be doing that anytime soon.\u201d\u00a0 Something tells me that\u2019s going to be happening sooner rather than later, though.<\/i>\u00a0 He blew out a quiet breath and opened his eyes again.\u00a0 \u201cSo they hit the Whispers, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n

Lindsay nodded slightly.\u00a0 \u201cYeah.\u00a0 Nothing else yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully they won\u2019t hit anything else soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lindsay shrugged a little, resting her head on the mattress next to his.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know, Brendan.\u00a0 I know they\u2019re going to hit something else, I just don\u2019t know what or when or who\u2019s doing the hitting.\u00a0 I wish I did.\u00a0 Maybe then I could make a difference in the outcome.\u201d<\/p>\n

His fingers brushed over her pale hair as he frowned a little.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t try to shoulder the universe, Lin.\u00a0 Just because sometimes you see the future doesn\u2019t mean that it\u2019s your job to save humanity from itself.\u00a0 No can do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Foundation\u2019s trying.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd look at about how many people are listening.\u201d\u00a0 He smiled wryly.\u00a0 \u201cYou can save us<\/i>, Lin.\u00a0 But you can\u2019t save everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

She sighed.\u00a0 \u201cI know,\u201d she murmured.\u00a0 \u201cI know that.\u00a0 Intellectually, I know that.\u00a0 But tell that to the heart of me, Brendan, and make me believe it.\u00a0 I just keep thinking that I have this gift for a reason.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou do,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cYou have it to help the people that are willing to listen.\u00a0 Most of the people here.\u00a0 You\u2019re the Oracle because people believe you\u2019re the Oracle, Lin.\u00a0 Because they believe in you, believe in what you see and believe that maybe, just maybe, that with knowledge of what\u2019s to come we can change it for the better.\u201d\u00a0 He ran his thumb along her cheek.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re amazing and you have an amazing gift.\u00a0 But you can\u2019t save everyone by yourself.\u00a0 Even Ryland LeSarte didn\u2019t get believed by everyone, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

Her expression softened, brows knitting a little as she stared at him.\u00a0 \u201cI love you,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n

Brendan smiled.\u00a0 \u201cI love you, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPromise me you won\u2019t leave again?\u201d<\/p>\n

He smiled a little wider and rubbed her cheek gently with his thumb.\u00a0 \u201cI promise.\u00a0 Never again.\u00a0 You\u2019re stuck with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her lips brushed his and he closed his eyes.\u00a0 He had no intentions of ever leaving the system ever again.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The greatest gift Sarah Farragut ever had to give was her love.\u00a0 Her capacity for it was as boundless as her wisdom to know who deserved it and who deserved a swift kick in the ass.\u00a0 Often, I found myself … 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":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-302","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-two-ashes-to-ashes"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/s25yjF-two","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302","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=302"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":305,"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302\/revisions\/305"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=302"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=302"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=302"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}