{"id":385,"date":"2013-06-30T10:38:02","date_gmt":"2013-06-30T14:38:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/?p=385"},"modified":"2013-06-30T10:38:02","modified_gmt":"2013-06-30T14:38:02","slug":"twenty-four-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/?p=385","title":{"rendered":"Twenty-four"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Damn your secrets.\u00a0 It\u2019s time for the truth.<\/h3>\n

— Beyond Lies<\/i>, Willow McLeod<\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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

\u201cForgive her,\u201d Ezra mumbled into the sudden silence.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s\u2026medicated.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brendan looked askance at his friend, eyes widening slightly.\u00a0 He actually said that?\u00a0 I don\u2019t care if it\u2019s true.\u00a0 He\u2019d better hope that she doesn\u2019t hear that he\u2019s said that.\u00a0 She\u2019ll kill him.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Winston said slowly.\u00a0 \u201cNo, there\u2019s nothing to forgive.\u00a0 She\u2019s right.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t know and I should have.\u00a0 There\u2019s a lot more going on in the Commonwealth than the Inspector General\u2019s office can address\u2014or dare address, I guess.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was always a struggle,\u201d Frederick said, his voice soft and expression slightly distant.\u00a0 \u201cHow much good could we do without stepping on too many toes, without getting the organization disemboweled, dismantled.\u00a0 If we pressed too hard, if we tried to do too much, that was the very real risk.\u00a0 We lived on the whim of parliament.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe still do.\u201d\u00a0 Winston massaged the point between his eyes, as if he felt a headache forming, then exhaled sharply.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re still bound by what we\u2019re allowed<\/i> to do, what we can risk<\/i> doing.\u00a0 It\u2019s not right, but it\u2019s the way things are.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe way things are,\u201d Lindsay echoed, toying with her mug.\u00a0 \u201cJust because they\u2019re the way things are doesn\u2019t make it right for things to be that way.\u201d\u00a0 Her lips thinned.\u00a0 \u201cThat was the point that Alana was making.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was right to do it,\u201d Winston said again, palms pressed flat against the tabletop, fingers splayed.\u00a0 It was as if he couldn\u2019t meet any of their gazes.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re a paper tiger.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe whole Commonwealth is,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re just beginning to realize that for the first time.\u00a0 Is this the first time you\u2019ve been out of the core?\u201d<\/p>\n

After a moment\u2019s hesitation, Winston nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve been on the very inner edge of the Rim, but never anywhere near this far out, and never on a world that\u2019s considered\u2014no offense intended\u2014a backwater frontier outpost.\u201d<\/p>\n

Frederick\u2019s lips twitched into a smile.\u00a0 \u201cYou should visit them more often, it seems.\u00a0 You learn a great deal more that way about how the whole apparatus works\u2014or fails to\u2014by doing so.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cApparently.\u201d\u00a0 Winston sighed and shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cBut this discussion doesn\u2019t bring me any closer to the reason I came here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI suspect the reason you came here isn\u2019t precisely what you think it is.\u201d\u00a0 Frederick reached for the teapot and filled his mug, apparently marshaling his thoughts before he continued.\u00a0 \u201cSephora gave you your orders directly, didn\u2019t she?\u201d<\/p>\n

Winston nodded slowly.<\/p>\n

Fingers tightening around Lindsay\u2019s hand, Brendan frowned. He makes it sound like that\u2019s significant.\u00a0 She\u2019s his commanding officer, for better or worse.\u00a0 Doesn\u2019t he usually get his assignments from her?<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cNot just loaded in.\u00a0 You got an actual briefing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Winston\u2019s brows knit.\u00a0 \u201cAfter I was off-world, but yes.\u00a0 She sent an eyes-only message to me that I got after my transport dropped me out on the frontier.\u201d\u00a0 His eyes narrowed slightly and he leaned forward.\u00a0 \u201cWhat are you getting at, Inspector?\u00a0 You\u2019re hinting at something that I can\u2019t quite catch just yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBear with us,\u201d Frederick said.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019ll become clear quickly enough.\u201d\u00a0 He straightened slightly.\u00a0 \u201cSephora and I are old friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew that,\u201d Winston interrupted.\u00a0 \u201cShe was your partner.\u00a0 You\u2019ve mentioned her a couple of times in the hour<\/i> that I\u2019ve known you.\u00a0 The significance of the connection there isn\u2019t entirely<\/i> lost on me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSettle down,\u201d Aidan rumbled, crossing his arms against his broad chest.\u00a0 \u201cBear with Inspector Rose, as he\u2019s asked.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you implying that my being sent here has less to do with what happened at the Whispers and more to do with what happened to Mimir?\u00a0 Or are we talking about something else?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSomething else,\u201d Frederick said, \u201cbut no less massive in its import.\u00a0 The Commonwealth is dying, young man.\u00a0 It\u2019s about to consume itself.\u00a0 Humanity<\/i> is about to consume itself.\u00a0 Sephora Damerian sent you here because we are the only people who can help any of you save what\u2019s good and right and wonderful about the human race while the rest of our fellows devour each other like some kind of ravening horde.\u201d<\/p>\n

Winston stared at all of them for long enough that Brendan\u2019s heart began to pound painfully against his breastbone.<\/p>\n

He thinks we\u2019re nuts.\u00a0 He\u2019s about to bolt.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cYou people are insane,\u201d Winston said, though his tone lacked the conviction that one might expect.\u00a0 \u201cHumanity\u2019s survived the loss of two homeworlds already.\u00a0 What\u2019s to say that\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou said homeworlds,\u201d Rachel said, her voice quiet as she interrupted him on the beginning of a tirade.\u00a0 \u201cWe said the Commonwealth was dying.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou implied that\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat humanity would destroy itself, yes.\u00a0 Eventually, it will, and perhaps sooner rather than later.\u00a0 But we\u2019re talking about the Commonwealth, Inspector.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d the young man said, eyes bleak and voice hollow.\u00a0 \u201cNo, we\u2019re talking about humanity.\u00a0 The Commonwealth is the only existing brake on anything that\u2019s happening inside the homosphere and even the Commonwealth can\u2019t stop most of what\u2019s happening back there.\u201d\u00a0 His fingers curled back, tips scraping against the smooth wood, hands curling into fists.\u00a0 \u201cThe attack at the Whispers was a symptom of a much, much greater disease, one that we\u2019ve been impotently fighting for decades, maybe more.\u00a0 Maybe since the Commonwealth was born.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got no way to<\/i> know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do,\u201d Frederick said, eyes gleaming.\u00a0 Brendan\u2019s stomach did an uncomfortable somersault.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t like that look.\u00a0 That\u2019s the same look that Marshal Windsor gets when he\u2019s about to ask me to do something that I\u2019m going to question the wisdom of.<\/i>\u00a0 Now he knew where Adam had learned it\u2014or perhaps Frederick Rose had learned it from Adam Windsor, sometime in their misspent youth on Mimir.<\/p>\n

Winston just stared at Frederick, more than half dumbfounded.\u00a0 \u201cI beg your pardon?\u00a0 How would you be able to know that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are histories,\u201d Frederick said.\u00a0 \u201cHistories that the Commonwealth\u2014indeed, humanity as a whole\u2014believe and fear and perhaps even hope<\/i> are lost forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d Winston asked, his frown deepening.\u00a0 Brendan could almost taste the young man\u2019s confusion coupled with discomfort.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re not making any sense.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe libraries of Mimir held all of the human knowledge that was ever salvaged from our past homelands, from past societies,\u201d Frederick said, as if that explained everything.<\/p>\n

But those libraries burned.<\/i><\/p>\n

Winston shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI thought those were destroyed in the bombings.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of the physical archives were, yes,\u201d Frederick said, emphasizing the some<\/i>. \u201cBut those physical archives were digitized more than a hundred years ago.\u00a0 It was part of our mandate in the Guard\u2014the protection of knowledge for knowledge\u2019s sake.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut weren\u2019t the digital archives lost with Mimir?\u201d\u00a0 Winston\u2019s voice was a bare whisper as he looked at the Marshals, at Rachel and Frederick, as if he absolutely couldn\u2019t believe that he was hearing what they were saying.\u00a0 \u201cAll reports said that it was destroyed with the grand library.\u201d<\/p>\n

Frederick glanced toward Rachel and Adam.\u00a0 Rachel exhaled softly and shook her head.<\/p>\n

\u201cSteps were taken to secure the archive when it started to become clear that action might be taken against Mimir,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cThere had been rumors that something might be happening and the Senate saw fit to make backups of all of the data.\u00a0 Those backups were entrusted to a half-dozen individuals\u2014several of whom are in this room as we speak.\u201d\u00a0 Her fingers knit together in front of her on the table and she leaned back in her chair.\u00a0 \u201cThe database is hidden, but the keys\u2014and the database itself\u2014can still be retrieved.\u00a0 The history of humanity isn\u2019t lost, it\u2019s just been hidden and forgotten.\u00a0 Now that we\u2019ve rescued my sister and my brother-in-law, all that remains is a few loose ends\u2014like retrieving a key that was entrusted to Sephora Damerian.\u201d<\/p>\n

Winston sat bolt upright, as if someone had replaced his spine with a rod of titanium.\u00a0 \u201cThe Inspector General\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNever knew that she had it, I suspect,\u201d Frederick said, shaking his head slowly.\u00a0 \u201cBut she sent you here, which means she\u2019s starting to sort something out.\u00a0 She may have found everything that I left for her in the days since you left.\u201d<\/p>\n

Winston\u2019s mouth worked but no sound emerged for a moment.\u00a0 Brendan cleared his throat.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy didn\u2019t anyone say anything about this sooner?\u201d he asked, eyeing the Marshals.\u00a0 Lindsay\u2019s fingers tightened around his hand beneath the table, her senses pulsing a warning that he was pointedly ignoring.\u00a0 There had been too many secrets lately, too much happening.<\/p>\n

What if something happens to one or all of them, Lin?\u00a0 We never would have known any of this.<\/i><\/p>\n

Her fingers tightened one more time, then loosened slightly, her warning starting to subside.<\/p>\n

Adam met his gaze for a moment, then shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cThere wasn\u2019t a point when we wouldn\u2019t have all the pieces of the puzzle.\u00a0 Grant knows the location, since he\u2019s the one they detailed to hide it.\u00a0 The rest of us only had hints and clues.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not entirely true,\u201d Frederick said.\u00a0 \u201cI know where it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s gaze snapped toward his old friend, who sat impassively back in his chair, meeting the Marshal\u2019s sharp look with a bland one of his own.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut,\u201d Frederick continued, \u201cas you said, Grumpy, there was no reason to bring it up because I didn\u2019t know that we had America and Grant\u2019s keys all along.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo many bloody secrets<\/i>,\u201d Winston said, shaking his head.\u00a0 \u201cHow do you people function?\u201d<\/p>\n

Kara snorted softly.\u00a0 \u201cUsually, there aren\u2019t this many.\u00a0 Rest assured, we\u2019re not typically this secretive.\u201d\u00a0 She stood up and walked around to where Winston sat and leaned against the table next to him.\u00a0 \u201cYou have to understand, things are changing here rather rapidly\u2014old secrets coming up because it\u2019s finally safe to reveal some of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the Whispers?\u201d\u00a0 Winston asked.\u00a0 \u201cWhat about that?\u00a0 What secrets are there?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNone,\u201d Kara said, glancing toward her brother, as if to invite him to speak.<\/p>\n

Ezra took a breath and exhaled it slowly.\u00a0 \u201cJust that we got there at the wrong\u2014or perhaps the right\u2014time.\u00a0 America Farragut had the presence of mind to rig our sensors to record everything we saw.\u00a0 Marshal Windsor has had some of our top technical personnel reviewing the footage and trying to identify the ships that we were able to make out.\u201d\u00a0 The doctor\u2019s lips thinned.\u00a0 \u201cThere were a few ships, though, and they were firing on the planet.\u00a0 We could see the explosions and feel the psychic ripples from the planet.\u00a0 So many\u2014\u201d\u00a0 He broke off for a moment, then sucked in a breath and forged onward.\u00a0 \u201cSo many people dying.\u00a0 There wasn\u2019t even time for distress calls.\u00a0 We saw a few ships that look like they managed to escape\u2014I can only imagine that they must have been Wanderer ships, but who knows what safe harbor they\u2019ve fled to now.\u201d\u00a0 He shook his head slightly.\u00a0 \u201cIt was awful, Inspector.\u00a0 I\u2019ve never seen anything like it before and I pray to never see anything like it again.\u00a0 Not ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Winston nodded slowly, then looked at Adam.\u00a0 \u201cI need the footage.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll get it,\u201d Adam said quietly.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ll get it.\u00a0 But will you help us<\/i>?\u201d<\/p>\n

After a moment\u2019s hesitation, Winston nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cAye.\u00a0 I will.\u00a0 We will.\u00a0 The fight for the soul of humanity sounds like one that the Inspector General\u2019s office\u2014and the Commonwealth\u2014should have been fighting or generations.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know why we\u2019ve abrogated that responsibility\u2026but we have, and it\u2019s not right.\u00a0 Something has to be done.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll help you do it.\u00a0 No matter what.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Damn your secrets.\u00a0 It\u2019s time for the truth. — Beyond Lies, Willow McLeod 14 Decem, 5249 PD \u201cForgive her,\u201d Ezra mumbled into the sudden silence.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s\u2026medicated.\u201d Brendan looked askance at his friend, eyes widening slightly.\u00a0 He actually said that?\u00a0 I … 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-385","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\/p25yjF-6d","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/385","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=385"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/385\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":386,"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/385\/revisions\/386"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=385"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=385"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=385"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}