{"id":362,"date":"2013-05-12T00:00:07","date_gmt":"2013-05-12T04:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/?p=362"},"modified":"2013-05-11T21:16:02","modified_gmt":"2013-05-12T01:16:02","slug":"eighteen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/?p=362","title":{"rendered":"Eighteen"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve got good news and bad news\u2014and worse news.\u00a0 Which would you like first?<\/p>\n

— Unknown<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

12 Decem, 5249 PD<\/strong><\/p>\n

Adam stared at the starplot that hovered in front of him, brow furrowed and arms crossed.\u00a0 Behind him the newsnets droned on, lies spread about the colony, the Foundation, shot out across the dark depths of space to reach them even all the way out here, on the very fringes of humanity\u2019s sphere of influence.\u00a0 A half-dozen members of the Marshal\u2019s collective staff buzzed around, compiling intelligence reports independent of what D\u2019Arcy Morgause had come up with.<\/p>\n

He stared at the starplot without actually seeing it, his jaw set.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s worse than we thought.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cYou asked to see me, sir?\u201d<\/p>\n

He took a deep breath and turned toward Brendan, nodding.\u00a0 \u201cAye.\u00a0 I imagined you\u2019d want to know this as soon as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brendan\u2019s brows lifted as he joined him by the starplot.\u00a0 \u201cWhat did you find out?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTwo of the congloms have ordered us to quit our claim to the system and leave,\u201d Adam said quietly, gaze returning to the starplot.<\/p>\n

From the corner of his eye, he could see his younger colleague wince.\u00a0 \u201cWhich ones are they?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIdesalli and the Compact,\u201d Adam said, shaking his head and looking vaguely regretful.\u00a0 \u201cI imagine that Chinasia is soon to follow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoes the Council know?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe haven\u2019t told them yet.\u00a0 That\u2019s what we decided was best for now.\u201d\u00a0 He looked toward Brendan.\u00a0 \u201cBut we\u2019ll have to tell them soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you think D\u2019Arcy knows yet?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPossibly.\u201d\u00a0 Adam crossed his arms, eyes narrowing slightly.\u00a0 \u201cProbably.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat else is going on that you\u2019re not telling me?\u201d\u00a0 Brendan asked, turning to face his superior.<\/p>\n

Adam killed a grim smile.\u00a0 Sharp.\u00a0 But he always was.<\/i>\u00a0 \u201cI heard something from one of our contacts at Mission Systems.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs that going well?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam was silently thankful for Brendan\u2019s momentary distraction.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019re in the process of moving all of their operations here.\u00a0 It\u2019s going to take time, but that\u2019s their plan.\u00a0 The Council agreed to it and I\u2019m more than a little thankful they did.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pilot next to him took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.\u00a0 \u201cBecause it means warships,\u201d Brendan said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause it means we\u2019re not alone.\u00a0 Because it means that there are people within the Commonwealth that may look more favorably upon us than they might have before Mission Systems threw in their lot with us.\u201d\u00a0 He shook his head slightly.\u00a0 \u201cThere are hundreds of millions who don\u2019t understand what the Foundation is all about.\u00a0 They think we\u2019re crazy survivalist extremists out here, paranoids and psychics out of touch with reality.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd having a minor conglomerate throw in with us makes us somehow more credible?\u201d\u00a0 Brendan grimaced.\u00a0 \u201cI knew the galaxy was screwed up, Marshal, but I didn\u2019t realize it was quite that bad.\u201d<\/p>\n

A wry smile twisted Adam Windsor\u2019s lips and he shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI may be exaggerating.\u00a0 Marshal\u2019s prerogative.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brendan nodded slightly.\u00a0 \u201cWell, either way, having Mission Systems here couldn\u2019t hurt<\/i>, I guess.\u00a0 You said there was more?\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cOne of our contacts let me know that he loaded an agent from NeCom\u2019s Inspector General\u2019s office on one of his haulers about a week ago.\u00a0 He should be arriving here soon, barring any complications.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brendan glanced at him, brows knitting.\u00a0 \u201cIs that supposed to be good news?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like to think it is,\u201d Adam said, crossing his arms and meeting Brendan\u2019s doubt-filled eyes.\u00a0 \u201cThe Inspector General\u2019s office should be objective, at the very least.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wish I felt like I could trust anyone from NeCom these days,\u201d Brendan said, looking at the starplot.\u00a0 He waved his hand vaguely at the systems it displayed.\u00a0 \u201cBut from the sound of things, it\u2019s not doing a very good job of protecting anyone or keeping anyone in check.\u00a0 Extremists are ruling or just running roughshod over the works.\u00a0 Or am I wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re not wrong.\u00a0 They can\u2019t control the congloms, but they never really could.\u00a0 We knew that back when Mimir died and when someone made Frederick Rose a target for retaliation when he started to get close to the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brendan\u2019s lips thinned as he clearly swallowed a question.\u00a0 Adam shook his head slightly.\u00a0 The boy had<\/i> recognized Frederick after all.<\/p>\n

I suppose that shouldn\u2019t surprise me.\u00a0 He may have been isolated while he was in training, but he\u2019s bright and they\u2019d have known about Frederick\u2019s supposed death even in Chinasian territory.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cWe can talk about that later,\u201d Adam said in a low voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d rather talk about it now,\u201d Brendan said quietly.\u00a0 \u201cBut I\u2019m fully aware that this isn\u2019t<\/i> the place for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam glanced around, then shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s not.\u00a0 Walk with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Together, they left the cave and headed up to ground level, out into the chill sunshine of autumn.\u00a0 Both men stayed silent as they walked away from the command center and down a wooded jogging trail that wended its way out toward the base\u2019s walls.<\/p>\n

Brendan broke the silence once it became clear that they were well and truly alone.\u00a0 \u201cHow long have you been keeping his survival a secret?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you recognized him.\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cThough not from the newsnets or anything.\u00a0 It was from something I saw\u2014or Lindsay saw\u2014something.\u00a0 Who\u2019s seeing what is becoming harder and harder to sort out.\u201d\u00a0 He raked both hands back through his dark hair, leaving it in disarray.<\/p>\n

A shiver shot down Adam\u2019s spine, but he refused to let that show in his expression.<\/p>\n

Brendan glanced at him.\u00a0 \u201cAre you going to answer my question?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSince he was reported dead,\u201d Adam said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo it\u2019s been a long time.\u201d\u00a0 Brendan shoved his hands into his pockets, head dipping, his eyes lost in shadows.\u00a0 \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s my friend and someone tried to murder him,\u201d Adam said quietly.\u00a0 \u201cTell me you wouldn\u2019t do the same thing if it happened to Ezra.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brendan winced.\u00a0 \u201cI would.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo why has he resurfaced now?\u00a0 Seems like a crappy time to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam smiled. \u201cI don\u2019t pretend to understand why he does everything he does, but I seem to recall his mentioning that it was a crappy time to stay out of things when he felt like he could help.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brendan frowned, then shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cThat takes a lot of guts.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, it does,\u201d Adam agreed. \u201cBut I\u2019m glad of it\u2014for a lot of reasons.\u201d\u00a0 His gaze slanted toward Brendan.\u00a0 \u201cNot the least of which is the possibility of his intercession on your behalf and on Alana\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brendan winced again.\u00a0 \u201cAre we really in that much danger?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the sake of my niece, I certainly hope not.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not leaving her again,\u201d Brendan said.\u00a0 \u201cI promised her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam shook his head, expression grim. \u201cI\u2019ll try to make sure you don\u2019t have to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, I can\u2019t give you a promise on that.<\/i><\/p>\n

The look the pilot gave him told him that Brendan knew that, too\u2014but it also promised that the day Adam Windsor asked him to leave their world again would be the day he got told exactly where he could shove his orders\u2014right along with everything else.<\/p>\n

The boy\u2019s grit made Adam smile.<\/p>\n

I made a good choice.\u00a0 I made a very, very good choice.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve got good news and bad news\u2014and worse news.\u00a0 Which would you like first? — Unknown 12 Decem, 5249 PD Adam stared at the starplot that hovered in front of him, brow furrowed and arms crossed.\u00a0 Behind him the newsnets … 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-362","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-eighteen","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362","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=362"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":363,"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362\/revisions\/363"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}