{"id":414,"date":"2013-09-03T00:00:02","date_gmt":"2013-09-03T04:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/?p=414"},"modified":"2013-09-02T13:58:10","modified_gmt":"2013-09-02T17:58:10","slug":"twenty-nine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/?p=414","title":{"rendered":"Twenty-nine"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Choose your words carefully, because you can\u2019t take them back and who knows what will be made of them later.\u00a0 Sometimes the most innocent of encounters becomes far more than it initially appeared once hindsight rears her fair head.<\/h3>\n

— Ryland LeSarte, circa 4857<\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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

\u201cThis planet is beautiful,\u201d Winston said as he and Brendan walked up the pathway from the beach back toward Nova Spexi proper.\u00a0 \u201cAll of the file footage the Colonial Office has in the system doesn\u2019t do it justice at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen was the last time the Colonial Office sent a survey team here?\u201d\u00a0 Brendan shoved his hands deep into his pockets, watching the inspector carefully.\u00a0 Marshal Rose still had a team trying to crack the encryption on Timrel Winston\u2019s official file, since their previous query through regular channels hadn\u2019t given them anything.\u00a0 Rachel was willing to trust the inspector, but the Marshals\u2014particularly Daci\u2014wanted to verify as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot all of them are like <\/i>you, Frederick.\u00a0 We know that they\u2019re corruptible.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cSephora picked him herself.\u00a0 She knows what to look for.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cNot even Sephora Damerian is infallible.\u00a0 I\u2019ll have a look for myself, thank you.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

They were well-matched, those two.<\/p>\n

Just about as well-matched as Lindsay and I.<\/i><\/p>\n

Winston\u2019s voice startled him from his thoughts.\u00a0 \u201cYou know what?\u00a0 I don\u2019t think I know.\u00a0 At least fifty or sixty years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d guess longer ago than that,\u201d Brendan said, shaking his head slightly.\u00a0 \u201cMore like a century and maybe more.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know that a survey team\u2019s been here since the Foundation staked its claim and started settlement.\u201d<\/p>\n

Winston shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cThat doesn\u2019t make sense.\u00a0 Claims have to be inspected every fifty years to ensure\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot if they\u2019re a perpetual claim.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut they\u2014\u201d\u00a0 Winston stopped, staring at Brendan for a long moment.\u00a0 \u201cThe Foundation has a perpetual claim to E-557?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTo the whole system, in fact,\u201d a voice said from behind them.\u00a0 Brendan tensed up, barely suppressing the shudder that wanted to race through him.<\/p>\n

What the hell is D\u2019Arcy doing out here this early in the morning?\u00a0 I didn\u2019t know that he even knew what the dawn looked like.<\/i>\u00a0 \u201cGood morning, D\u2019Arcy,\u201d Brendan said, forcing himself to be as pleasant as possible.\u00a0 What\u2019s he up to this time?<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cGood morning, Commander Cho.\u00a0 If you have duties essential to our defense to attend to this morning, I would be happy to play tour guide to our guest.\u201d\u00a0 D\u2019Arcy studied Winston for a moment.\u00a0 \u201cI assume that this is our esteemed visitor from the Inspector General\u2019s office.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brendan swallowed a sigh and nodded.\u00a0 \u201cInspector Winston, this is D\u2019Arcy Morgause, one of the members of the Rose Council.\u00a0 D\u2019Arcy, Inspector Timrel Winston of the Commonwealth Inspector General\u2019s office.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m honored to meet you, Inspector,\u201d D\u2019Arcy said as he extended his hand to the other man.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s not every day we receive visitors from the\u00a0 Commonwealth proper.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom what I\u2019ve seen it\u2019s not that often at all\u2014mostly refugees looking for asylum.\u201d\u00a0 Winston smiled briefly as he shook D\u2019Arcy\u2019s hand.\u00a0 \u201cHaving seen what this world looks like and the way you people seem to live, I can\u2019t say that I blame any of those refugees coming here, either.\u00a0 It\u2019s amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

D\u2019Arcy gave him a thin smile.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s amazing is that there are refugees at all.\u00a0 I had heard that things were improving in Commonwealth space since the last wars ended.\u00a0 Was I mislead?\u201d<\/p>\n

Brendan\u2019s stomach dropped.\u00a0 What the hell is he talking about?\u00a0 Things have been getting <\/i>worse since Mimir fell and that war ended.\u00a0 Who would be telling him\u2014unless he\u2019s playing games.<\/i>\u00a0 He eyed D\u2019Arcy for a long moment and wondered if maybe he\u2019d underestimated the Council\u2019s spymaster.<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, things are better than they used to be, that\u2019s for certain,\u201d Winston said carefully.\u00a0 \u201cBut I wouldn\u2019t say they\u2019ve improved wholesale, not from my perspective.\u00a0 There are efforts to go even further with the reforms that began thirty years ago, but the politicos that are spearheading those efforts are running into some significant resistance these days.\u201d\u00a0 Winston stole a glance at Brendan, one brow arching slightly.<\/p>\n

Brendan shook his head slightly, struggling to keep his expression impassive.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t very well stop D\u2019Arcy from talking to the inspector if he wanted to.\u00a0 The man was a member of the Rose Council and had every right to speak to Winston\u2014as long as Winston wanted to continue the conversation.<\/p>\n

Dammit, why didn\u2019t Marshal Windsor give me orders to keep Winston the hell away from D\u2019Arcy?<\/i><\/p>\n

He had to smother a smile.\u00a0 Probably because they want to see if Winston\u2019s got the same calibration on his bullshit meter that we do.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s unfortunate,\u201d D\u2019Arcy was saying.\u00a0 \u201cWe were hoping to be able to send some representatives to Parliament in the future, but it seems like the political climate might be unfavorable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brendan frowned.\u00a0 \u201cWhen was that brought up in Council?\u201d he asked.\u00a0 Lindsay would have mentioned that.\u00a0 That\u2019s not the kind of thing that\u2019s brought up and then vanishes from the conversation as quickly as it rises.<\/i>\u00a0 He crossed his arms.\u00a0 He\u2019s up to something.\u00a0 First backing down when Rachel was put forward for Speaker, now this.\u00a0 He\u2019s up to something and it\u2019s probably not good.\u00a0 I just wish I knew what it was.<\/i><\/p>\n

D\u2019Arcy dismissed the question with a wave of his hand.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s been our hope as an organization for some time that our image as isolationist could be somewhat improved.\u00a0 We are, after all, trying to set an example for how human society can exist in harmony with the planets that house us rather than simply exploit them\u2014and ourselves\u2014to death.\u201d<\/p>\n

Winston snorted humorlessly.\u00a0 \u201cI doubt that approach would earn you many friends in government these days, Councilor Morgause.\u00a0 The question these days is how to feed everyone without bankrupting corporate structures and how to manipulate the tax codes to benefit the largest congloms, not sunshine and rainbows and how to save our planets.\u201d<\/p>\n

Winston caught Brendan\u2019s gaze with the corner of his eye.\u00a0 The Inspector was starting to look vaguely uncomfortable, though he schooled his expression into one of careful, vaguely disinterested but polite curiosity.\u00a0 \u201cWho are your contacts back home these days, Councilor?\u00a0 I can\u2019t imagine that cultivating resources like that would be very easy, considering how far out you are and how rarely people from the colony leave to go traveling the Commonwealth, especially given the apparent hostility some of the congloms feel toward you people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, just some old school friends,\u201d D\u2019Arcy said with a faint smile.\u00a0 \u201cI was educated on New Earth, at Rigel University.\u00a0 Senator Milligan was still teaching there at the time and he took me under his wing.\u00a0 We still correspond regularly.\u00a0 His daughter is hoping to visit soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brendan stared at D\u2019Arcy.\u00a0 The way he talked about the senator\u2019s daughter visiting tripped a synapse in his brain that sent alarm bells echoing through his skull but didn\u2019t quite trigger anything else\u2014though he did<\/i> catch the barest fleeting glimpse of a slender woman with black hair and a big smile hanging on D\u2019Arcy\u2019s arm.\u00a0 \u201cIt sounds like you\u2019re very much looking forward to that eventuality, D\u2019Arcy,\u201d he said, trying to keep his tone even.<\/p>\n

D\u2019Arcy smiled broadly.\u00a0 \u201cOh, I am, Commander Cho. \u00a0Believe me, I am. \u00a0I would welcome the opportunity to show more citizens of the Commonwealth how well we\u2019re doing here.\u00a0 It can only help us with the troubles that we\u2019re facing, don\u2019t you think?\u201d\u00a0 His gaze flicked toward Winston.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t you think so, too, Inspector?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re talking about the external threats the Foundation and the colony are currently facing from unknown entities, you could be correct.\u00a0 Swaying public opinion in your favor could help.\u201d\u00a0 Winston paused, clearly choosing his words carefully before he continued.\u00a0 \u201cBut at the same time, considering how unknown and possibly widespread the threat to you may be, it could be that all your efforts will do is fuel the fire of resentment, and we all know where that leads.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cViolence, hate, and war,\u201d Brendan said softly.<\/p>\n

The inspector nodded.\u00a0 \u201cExactly.\u00a0 I would tread lightly, Councilor.\u00a0 These are dangerous times, as we\u2019re learning more and more each day.\u00a0 One misstep could spell a lot of trouble for more than just the Foundation\u2014violent trouble and worse.\u201d\u00a0 He closed his eyes for a moment and exhaled softly.\u00a0 \u201cWelcome to the flashpoint,\u201d he murmured, as if he was momentarily unaware that he wasn\u2019t alone.<\/p>\n

Brendan touched his arm.\u00a0 \u201cInspector, I believe we were headed up to the base so you could see the CAP launch?\u201d<\/p>\n

Winston opened his eyes and smiled.\u00a0 \u201cWe were, weren\u2019t we?\u00a0 And then perhaps you could show me a decent place to get some breakfast?\u201d<\/p>\n

Brendan nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d be more than happy to do that.\u201d\u00a0 He glanced toward D\u2019Arcy.\u00a0 \u201cHave a pleasant morning, D\u2019Arcy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The smile that D\u2019Arcy gave him was razor blades and ice.\u00a0 \u201cYou as well, Commander.\u00a0 My best to your wife<\/i>.\u201d<\/p>\n

The way he said it made Brendan shiver.\u00a0 His feeling of unease didn\u2019t go away until he and Winston were halfway to base and D\u2019Arcy had long ago passed from his sight.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Choose your words carefully, because you can\u2019t take them back and who knows what will be made of them later.\u00a0 Sometimes the most innocent of encounters becomes far more than it initially appeared once hindsight rears her fair head. — … 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-414","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-6G","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/414","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=414"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/414\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":415,"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/414\/revisions\/415"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=414"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=414"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=414"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}