[Apologies for the short entry this week.\u00a0 I am trying not to let the combination of allergies and a cold kill me.\u00a0 I figured that something was better than nothing at all.]<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\nSometimes, the destination is all that matters.<\/h3>\n
— attributed to Ryland LeSarte, date unknown<\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\u00a019 Decem, 5249 PD<\/strong><\/p>\n
Winston stared at the water for the third day in a row, seated on a rock near the shore.\u00a0 Commander Cho would join him soon, as the man always did.\u00a0 He had seen more of the colony\u2019s workings, come to understand more about how the Foundation functioned, in a few short days than he ever had over the course of his life.<\/p>\n
Though I\u2019m afraid that I haven\u2019t learned everything that Inspector Damerian wanted me to figure out.<\/i><\/p>\n
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of salt and sea.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t smell dirty here like it did on New Earth, didn\u2019t smell strange and rotten.<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand that you\u2019ve been out here every morning,\u201d a voice said from behind him.\u00a0 Winston turned, blinking.<\/p>\n
Then he turned away to hide his sudden attack of nerves.\u00a0 \u201cYes,\u201d he said, forcing him voice to be steady as he addressed Frederick Rose.<\/p>\n
\u201cI suppose there probably aren\u2019t many unspoiled places left back on New Earth,\u201d Frederick said as he came around the rock to seat himself alongside of Winston on the slab of tumbled basalt.\u00a0 \u201cHave you ever been to New Lawrence Sound?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was born in Peterstown,\u201d Winston said quietly.\u00a0 \u201cI grew up on the Sound.\u00a0 But I can\u2019t ever remember it being like this.\u00a0 The latitude\u2019s a little further north for the Sound, but still.\u00a0 That doesn\u2019t really explain why this is so beautiful and the Sound\u2026isn\u2019t anymore.\u201d\u00a0 His lips thinned.\u00a0 \u201cEven in the pictures my grandparents had from when they were young, it doesn\u2019t look like this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSomething to be said for living with the land rather than just on it, huh?\u201d\u00a0 Frederick smiled faintly, following the young man\u2019s gaze out over the water.\u00a0 \u201cNo one will stop you if you want to come back here after you\u2019ve made your report to the Inspector General\u2019s office.\u201d<\/p>\n
Every muscle tightened and Winston felt his heart give a strange double-beat.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs that what happened to you?\u201d he asked without thinking.<\/p>\n
What did you just say, Tim?\u00a0 Holy shit, what did you just say to him?<\/i><\/p>\n
For his part, Frederick Rose smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wish it had been that simple, Inspector Winston.\u00a0 I wish I had been that simple.\u201d\u00a0 The smile faded.\u00a0 \u201cI knew too much, saw too much.\u00a0 That frightened people with connections, powerful people.\u00a0 They tried to silence me and they very nearly succeeded.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut they didn\u2019t kill you.\u201d\u00a0 Winston looked at him, his guts churning.\u00a0 \u201cYou didn\u2019t let them win.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDidn\u2019t I?\u201d \u00a0Frederick smiled faintly.\u00a0 \u201cThey won the battle, but they\u2019ll not win the war.\u00a0 I made myself that promise a long time ago.\u00a0 It\u2019s a promise I intend to keep.\u201d\u00a0 He exhaled softly and shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cWhat about you, Inspector?\u00a0 Are you fighting your own war?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Winston said softly.\u00a0 \u201cI used to think that I joined the Inspector General\u2019s office to find the truth or to make a difference or something noble like that.\u00a0 Now I\u2019m not so sure.\u00a0 Now maybe I\u2019m starting to wonder if I don\u2019t mind getting dirty as I try to dismantle conspiracies and mysteries.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the mark of a good investigator,\u201d Frederick said.\u00a0 \u201cAnd Sephora asks for the best.\u201d<\/p>\n
Winston shivered.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t believe me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Winston said softly.\u00a0 \u201cI do.\u00a0 That\u2019s what scares me.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
[Apologies for the short entry this week.\u00a0 I am trying not to let the combination of allergies and a cold kill me.\u00a0 I figured that something was better than nothing at all.] Sometimes, the destination is all that matters. … Continue reading