Post by Lorpius Prime on Jun 23, 2010 18:32:48 GMT -5
EFS Admiral Lee, Earth Orbit, 2206 AD.
The Gazwah watched the monitor for a long time. And for a long time, Timothy watched the Gazwah. The room was silent except for the sound of their own breathing.
Timothy felt utterly lost, adrift. All his life had been spent struggling towards this end, this victory. But it was no victory at all. The monitor's display slowly rotated its way among the hundreds of remote cameras. Each desolate image bore the same message.
Until he saw it, Timothy would not have believed his emotional reaction possible. Humanity had fled its homeworld a century ago. Only a handful alive had any real memory of the planet. Now, the species was only really connected by sentiment and tradition. Timothy and Earth Fleet had dreamt of return, of a glorious liberation. But even the most devoted personnel no longer truly believed the homeworld was something Humanity needed.
Seeing the images now, though, Timothy knew they had been wrong.
For the first time in his life, he knew why the Jihad insisted upon calling the enemy "demons". For that is what they were. Timothy would rather they had destroyed the planet. But they had not.
The place that had been Earth was defiled, twisted and remade into something repulsive. Evil. Timothy had seen the demons' spires on other worlds, near the boundaries of the Line. But those lonely outposts were not even a shadow of the black nightmare which had engulfed Humanity's birthplace. Earth's children had returned home and found hell.
Timothy's body convulsed as the sheer number of emotions became too many to process. Yet still the Gazwah remained silent, unmoving before him. He seemed to have a courage that Timothy now realized that he had only ever pretended to possess for the sake of his subordinates. Timothy had been a mere actor, Gazwah Michael a true leader.
But now Timothy had nothing else for which to pretend. It was over. Earth Fleet's century of defiance had been pointless. There was nothing here worth reclaiming. If anything, Timothy should order the place destroyed. He could call it a mercy to those enslaved below, but it would really be done out of simple disgust.
Timothy squeezed his fingers together as he realized the irony. The last act of Earth Fleet would be to destroy the abomination which was still the only remaining memory of its namesake.
Which left Timothy and all his colleagues looking out over a great abyss. What next? The whole basis for the society Timothy controlled had been ripped away. His title meant nothing. He had no duty anymore.
What becomes of us? he wondered. It was not a question he had the imagination nor the right to answer anymore.
"What do we do?" he whispered, looking at the still and silent man in front of him.
The Gazwah did not look away from the monitor.
"We go to war," he said.
"We've been…" Timothy trailed off softly, not understanding.
At last, Gazwah Michael turned from the monitor and faced Timothy directly.
"Admiral," he said, "until this moment you and I have only imaged ourselves to be at war. But we have been mere children playing games we did not understand. Now the Light of God has shown us the truth."
He half-turned back towards the monitor. "We have seen the Demon for what He is, and now we shall become vengeance incarnate. Our wrath will sweep forth from its vessel to purge this universe of a scourge we once tolerated. And there will be no peace. Not until the enemy is vanquished or the stars themselves are naught but ash."
He looked back, and his blue eyes burned into Timothy's own.
"That is our cause now, Admiral. That is all which is left."
Timothy remained silent for some time before he realized that there was only one answer possible. Quaking slightly, he gave it.
"Then I am with you."
The Gazwah watched the monitor for a long time. And for a long time, Timothy watched the Gazwah. The room was silent except for the sound of their own breathing.
Timothy felt utterly lost, adrift. All his life had been spent struggling towards this end, this victory. But it was no victory at all. The monitor's display slowly rotated its way among the hundreds of remote cameras. Each desolate image bore the same message.
Until he saw it, Timothy would not have believed his emotional reaction possible. Humanity had fled its homeworld a century ago. Only a handful alive had any real memory of the planet. Now, the species was only really connected by sentiment and tradition. Timothy and Earth Fleet had dreamt of return, of a glorious liberation. But even the most devoted personnel no longer truly believed the homeworld was something Humanity needed.
Seeing the images now, though, Timothy knew they had been wrong.
For the first time in his life, he knew why the Jihad insisted upon calling the enemy "demons". For that is what they were. Timothy would rather they had destroyed the planet. But they had not.
The place that had been Earth was defiled, twisted and remade into something repulsive. Evil. Timothy had seen the demons' spires on other worlds, near the boundaries of the Line. But those lonely outposts were not even a shadow of the black nightmare which had engulfed Humanity's birthplace. Earth's children had returned home and found hell.
Timothy's body convulsed as the sheer number of emotions became too many to process. Yet still the Gazwah remained silent, unmoving before him. He seemed to have a courage that Timothy now realized that he had only ever pretended to possess for the sake of his subordinates. Timothy had been a mere actor, Gazwah Michael a true leader.
But now Timothy had nothing else for which to pretend. It was over. Earth Fleet's century of defiance had been pointless. There was nothing here worth reclaiming. If anything, Timothy should order the place destroyed. He could call it a mercy to those enslaved below, but it would really be done out of simple disgust.
Timothy squeezed his fingers together as he realized the irony. The last act of Earth Fleet would be to destroy the abomination which was still the only remaining memory of its namesake.
Which left Timothy and all his colleagues looking out over a great abyss. What next? The whole basis for the society Timothy controlled had been ripped away. His title meant nothing. He had no duty anymore.
What becomes of us? he wondered. It was not a question he had the imagination nor the right to answer anymore.
"What do we do?" he whispered, looking at the still and silent man in front of him.
The Gazwah did not look away from the monitor.
"We go to war," he said.
"We've been…" Timothy trailed off softly, not understanding.
At last, Gazwah Michael turned from the monitor and faced Timothy directly.
"Admiral," he said, "until this moment you and I have only imaged ourselves to be at war. But we have been mere children playing games we did not understand. Now the Light of God has shown us the truth."
He half-turned back towards the monitor. "We have seen the Demon for what He is, and now we shall become vengeance incarnate. Our wrath will sweep forth from its vessel to purge this universe of a scourge we once tolerated. And there will be no peace. Not until the enemy is vanquished or the stars themselves are naught but ash."
He looked back, and his blue eyes burned into Timothy's own.
"That is our cause now, Admiral. That is all which is left."
Timothy remained silent for some time before he realized that there was only one answer possible. Quaking slightly, he gave it.
"Then I am with you."