A/N - word prompt 'Matter'
States of Matter
One can almost hear Orac's precise, fussy tones delivering the lecture:
"A Solid ... closely packed... the forces between are strong so they cannot move freely, can only vibrate... "
Avon's eyes flashed. Another showdown with Blake on the flight deck and again he is beaten; logic no match for idealism and motives that are pure. He bristles and blusters yet he stays.
"... a stable, definite shape..."
"Well done, Avon!" Another triumph, another Federation stronghold destroyed. Avon hides his pleasure at Blake's words behind a contemptuous smile. They are a team, with complementary skills and common purpose, though their reasons differ. He belongs here - even if he wishes he didn't.
"... can only change by force, as when broken or cut."
Gan's empty chair seems to hold greater importance than the man himself. Tempers flare and the arguments grow bitter. Blake is the one beaten now; on his knees in an empty room, with only Avon's cold comfort.
"A Liquid... incompressible..."
Dayna is no problem, she accepts his authority readily. But Tarrant ... Ultimately he is no match for Avon's intellect and arrogance.
"...intermolecular forces are still important, but have enough energy to move relative to each other..."
With Blake gone, there is no common purpose. Personal matters come to the fore; Dayna's vendetta, Tarrant's brother, Vila's dreams, Cally's isolation and Anna...
"...the shape is not definite but is determined by its container."
Only the Liberator holds them together. None willing to give up its power, the edge it gives them, its shelter and security.
" ... liquids become gas by heating at constant pressure..."
Having gained his prize, Avon discovers it is not enough. Or maybe too much; its legacy is an uncomfortable burden. Too often he finds his thoughts turning to Blake.
"A Gas ...enough energy that the effect of intermolecular forces is small..."
Habit and the need to survive is all that is keeping them together now the Liberator is lost.
"...no definite shape or volume..."
Only his iron will, or maybe his desperation, maintains the facsimile of the team they had been, the man he had been.
"... the distance between neighbouring molecules is much greater..."
Blake is a memory, a shade from the past, so far away ... or is he?
"Plasma ...can arise from a huge voltage difference between two points..."
The jolt of recognition – they are no longer the men they once were. Avon faces Blake over the barrel of his gun. The jolt as the gun recoils, as realisation dawns; no longer the same men, but the feelings remain. The jolt as trust and love and hope die with the man in his arms.
"...no definite shape or volume..."
Things fall apart – blood and bodies and Blake fall – and the centre can no longer hold.
Avon smiles.
"... at very high temperatures, such as those present in stars; it is assumed that essentially all electrons are free...
With a whirr and a click, the computer falls silent.
