Disclaimer: Ender's story, the Ender Quartet and any characters, places, or ideas native to it belong to Orson Scott Card
--Cheers--
(How is life on your new planet, brother?)
(Going well. We have a healthy community and thick forests. The little ones a flourishing.)
(This is good to hear. Many things have been going wrong lately.)
(Yes, I've heard. Has the Hive Queen picked up on anything yet?)
(She is still among the philotes. I have not heard anything.)
(... ... ...)
(Brother?)
(I am sorry. It's just...there is something in the sky.)
(Organic?)
(I cannot tell. There are many of them, approaching fast.)
(Do you need assistance? Jane would...)
(They are ships.)
(Human?)
(Yes, many small ones and a few larger ones. They are... ... ...)
(Brother?)
(... ... ...)
~~~~~~~~
"Well Vieira, the government on this planet has caused us some REAL problems over the years, but -this- stunt takes the cake. What the hell were you thinking?!" Mayor Vieira sat back in his chair, frowning darkly at his guest.
"Senator Gourache, let me assure you our intentions-"
"I don't give a damn about your intentions! The Lusitania Fleet was given very strict and very specific instructions. Eliminate Lusitania. The Fleet comes back and Lusitania still stood without a scratch! Our best admiral returns to us with a twisted and obviously forged report on...ghosts and faster than light travel...its right out of a storybook!" The senator was beet red and Vieira could see a large vein throbbing on the robust man's temple.
"Peter Wiggin..."
"-Peter Wiggin-...", the senator seethed, "He should be put on trial. In fact, if I can gather the evidence, I will put him on trial for forcing officers into submitting ridiculous reports and for impeding the progress of the Fleet! Him and your xenobiologists. I thought we made ourselves clear when we said 'no more research'."
"It was for the good of the Hundred Worlds to see if the descolada were varelse or otherwise."
"Don't pull that Demosthenes crap with me. You deliberately disobeyed the ruling of the Starways Congress. We are still in session, but I can assure -you- that once we convince all the representatives of the descolada threat, this colony and wherever the descolada exist will be wiped out." Vieira sighed and shook his head. This argument had been going on for ours. He thought he was doing well and even made the senator pause, but the law wasn't on the mayor's side. The debate circled around a few times, but now the senator had the upper hand. Vieira was ready to give in for now.
"And what, dear senator, do you plan on doing about the wars in the fringe worlds?" The senator glare at the mayor, eyeing him up and down for signs of a lie.
"Excuse me?"
"Ohm you don't know about that? I thought the Congress, in its infinite..."
"Cut the crap and get on with it."
"Many worlds outside the bounds of congressional law have been attacked. Entire planets wiped out and burned to ash."
"How many?"
"Fifteen."
"Fifteen!"
"The public, here at least, seem to think it was an attack from extremists or Congress on the piggies, buggers, and descolada living there. The anti-Congress citizens, the Quara followers aren't pleased. Wars are ensuing all over the Hundred Worlds."
"You are harboring hostile aliens on fringe planets?!"
"We'll discuss that later. If you'd like to here my suggestions on..."
"No. Our conversation is over. We will finish our investigation and then this whole planet will be quarantined. You overstepped your boundaries, Vieira." Senator Gourache stormed out the door leaving Mayor Vieira sitting alone in his office.
"May God help us all..."
~~~~~~~~
"Nearly all the doors are locked." Jane spoke into Peter's ear.
"Well, tell me which ones aren't." Jane paused for a moment.
"They lead to the mess hall."
"A trap?"
"There's no signs of life there..."
"It's our only choice." Peter led Wang-mu through the only opened doors, through the twisting hallways of the station and finally into the mess hall.
Rows and rows of tables filled the hall. This station had housed a great many soldiers.
All of them were dead. Bodies lined the aisles, sat still on the seats, or lay face down in their food, horribly swollen and stiff. Peter choked back the vomit, slithering up his throat. Wang-mu covered her eyes and Peter brought her closer to him. His earpiece crackled to life with a snap that made Peter yank it out. A voice came through loud enough for both Peter and Wang-mu to hear.
"Oh dear, I guess cooking just isn't my thing."
"You poisoned them, you bastard!" James laughed.
"Oh, the poison. Well, alcohol is bad for you anyway." The cups...they were scattered everywhere, spilling their tainted contents over the bodies.
"You're a monster..." Wang-mu whispered.
"Am I? I'm doing no worse than humanity has done and is still doing."
"This doesn't even compare..."
"The Inquisition, the Holocaust, Hiroshima, the First Xenocide...please enlighten me as to how this is any different." Peter stared at the slaughter, this was just in cold blood, not a war.
"Oh, but this is a war, Peter. MY war. And only I can be the winner. It's going to be quite a ride though and I hope to teach you all how pathetic and useless your race is." The smell of rot and decay set in Peter tried to get out, but the bodies surrounded him. A thousand souls screaming for justice and vengeance.
"A toast, my friends! To humanity! May it enjoy its last few months of prosperity before it is devoured by my flames. Drink up!" James laughed insanely, savoring every drop of fear and confusion James and Wang-mu felt. His voice faded and a small click resounded through the dark silence. The doors were opened.
~~~~~~~~
A woman, near middle age was on board a large space shuttle. Alone it housed close to nine hundred passengers, all looking to go home after a heated discussion over the descolada. Home. She hadn't been home in years. But, she was following her dreams. She was a xenobiologist and her recent assignments had taken her away from her colony world. But now her work was finished. She could see her husband again, her mother and father...and her old love. She hadn't forgiven herself for what she put him through, even though it wasn't her fault. Lost in her thoughts, she was startled when the speakers blared to life.
"Lusitania in five minutes." She was overjoyed. Five minutes from home.
The ship gave a jolt and spiraled violently, knocking her from her seat.
She got up from the floor, slightly bruised, her belongings and everyone else's thrown about and walked down the hallways of panicking passengers. Passed the nervous gossip and frightful ideas, she made her way to the cockpit.
"Captain, what's going on?" There was no answer. An old woman sat near the doorway, sobbing.
"He's dead."
"What?!" She dashed into the cockpit and found the captain sprawled motionlessly across the controls. Two of the other co-pilots also laid coldly in their chairs. Three were still living and scrambled to bring the ship back on course.
"What is going on?!" One of the co-pilots turned towards her with his best calm face, but fear already cracked through his cool exterior.
"We're uh trying to figure that out."
"Are we in danger?"
"Well..."
"Answer me."
"The controls aren't working." That was it. His facade shattered and tears began to well up in his eyes. The other two co-pilots were stone silent, working at the controls, clearly frustrated that they couldn't do anything. Alarm spread across the woman's face. She turned back into the hallways and left for her room. As she passed she heard snatches of conversation. Mothers trying to make calls to their little girls at home, husband and wife clutching each other, and in that moment, the woman knew that there was no hope. It struck her like lightning. Her steps slowed, her gaze became empty, and she slowly sat back down in her seat. Turning her head out the window, she saw an unfamiliar planet. A group of bombers were dropping their deadly cargo on the it, incinerating its forests and blasting its tunnels. One of them shot at the shuttle, missed, and returned to its prior job of decimating the undeveloped planet. She watched, not in horror, but in acceptance. This is what we were doomed to. Humanity was about destruction. We were death.
The shuttle turned towards the planet. In that brief turn, the woman could see that there were other shuttles, just as big if not bigger, also turned at the planet. The shuttles flied straight toward the ground.
'The fuel...' she thought 'could burn everything to hell'. No tears came, she just continued to watch as they hurtled towards death. A young man, no more than twenty, nudged her. She glanced at him and his extended hand. Looking around, she saw that everyone was hugging each other, holding hands, keeping the nothingness away. Complete strangers. Faced with oblivion they find comfort in each other and enjoy it, even when nothing else mattered. How had she forgotten? Her first love took a part of her with him, unintentionally, but now she understood. In the face of adversity, humans received the only protection they ever needed from the heart.
~~~~~~~~
People don't take the time to appreciate things anymore. They don't wonder or guess or think or ask questions. But anyone gazing up at the sky from Lusitania that night would have seen a small, far-off star go out.
~~~~~~~~
--Cheers--
(How is life on your new planet, brother?)
(Going well. We have a healthy community and thick forests. The little ones a flourishing.)
(This is good to hear. Many things have been going wrong lately.)
(Yes, I've heard. Has the Hive Queen picked up on anything yet?)
(She is still among the philotes. I have not heard anything.)
(... ... ...)
(Brother?)
(I am sorry. It's just...there is something in the sky.)
(Organic?)
(I cannot tell. There are many of them, approaching fast.)
(Do you need assistance? Jane would...)
(They are ships.)
(Human?)
(Yes, many small ones and a few larger ones. They are... ... ...)
(Brother?)
(... ... ...)
~~~~~~~~
"Well Vieira, the government on this planet has caused us some REAL problems over the years, but -this- stunt takes the cake. What the hell were you thinking?!" Mayor Vieira sat back in his chair, frowning darkly at his guest.
"Senator Gourache, let me assure you our intentions-"
"I don't give a damn about your intentions! The Lusitania Fleet was given very strict and very specific instructions. Eliminate Lusitania. The Fleet comes back and Lusitania still stood without a scratch! Our best admiral returns to us with a twisted and obviously forged report on...ghosts and faster than light travel...its right out of a storybook!" The senator was beet red and Vieira could see a large vein throbbing on the robust man's temple.
"Peter Wiggin..."
"-Peter Wiggin-...", the senator seethed, "He should be put on trial. In fact, if I can gather the evidence, I will put him on trial for forcing officers into submitting ridiculous reports and for impeding the progress of the Fleet! Him and your xenobiologists. I thought we made ourselves clear when we said 'no more research'."
"It was for the good of the Hundred Worlds to see if the descolada were varelse or otherwise."
"Don't pull that Demosthenes crap with me. You deliberately disobeyed the ruling of the Starways Congress. We are still in session, but I can assure -you- that once we convince all the representatives of the descolada threat, this colony and wherever the descolada exist will be wiped out." Vieira sighed and shook his head. This argument had been going on for ours. He thought he was doing well and even made the senator pause, but the law wasn't on the mayor's side. The debate circled around a few times, but now the senator had the upper hand. Vieira was ready to give in for now.
"And what, dear senator, do you plan on doing about the wars in the fringe worlds?" The senator glare at the mayor, eyeing him up and down for signs of a lie.
"Excuse me?"
"Ohm you don't know about that? I thought the Congress, in its infinite..."
"Cut the crap and get on with it."
"Many worlds outside the bounds of congressional law have been attacked. Entire planets wiped out and burned to ash."
"How many?"
"Fifteen."
"Fifteen!"
"The public, here at least, seem to think it was an attack from extremists or Congress on the piggies, buggers, and descolada living there. The anti-Congress citizens, the Quara followers aren't pleased. Wars are ensuing all over the Hundred Worlds."
"You are harboring hostile aliens on fringe planets?!"
"We'll discuss that later. If you'd like to here my suggestions on..."
"No. Our conversation is over. We will finish our investigation and then this whole planet will be quarantined. You overstepped your boundaries, Vieira." Senator Gourache stormed out the door leaving Mayor Vieira sitting alone in his office.
"May God help us all..."
~~~~~~~~
"Nearly all the doors are locked." Jane spoke into Peter's ear.
"Well, tell me which ones aren't." Jane paused for a moment.
"They lead to the mess hall."
"A trap?"
"There's no signs of life there..."
"It's our only choice." Peter led Wang-mu through the only opened doors, through the twisting hallways of the station and finally into the mess hall.
Rows and rows of tables filled the hall. This station had housed a great many soldiers.
All of them were dead. Bodies lined the aisles, sat still on the seats, or lay face down in their food, horribly swollen and stiff. Peter choked back the vomit, slithering up his throat. Wang-mu covered her eyes and Peter brought her closer to him. His earpiece crackled to life with a snap that made Peter yank it out. A voice came through loud enough for both Peter and Wang-mu to hear.
"Oh dear, I guess cooking just isn't my thing."
"You poisoned them, you bastard!" James laughed.
"Oh, the poison. Well, alcohol is bad for you anyway." The cups...they were scattered everywhere, spilling their tainted contents over the bodies.
"You're a monster..." Wang-mu whispered.
"Am I? I'm doing no worse than humanity has done and is still doing."
"This doesn't even compare..."
"The Inquisition, the Holocaust, Hiroshima, the First Xenocide...please enlighten me as to how this is any different." Peter stared at the slaughter, this was just in cold blood, not a war.
"Oh, but this is a war, Peter. MY war. And only I can be the winner. It's going to be quite a ride though and I hope to teach you all how pathetic and useless your race is." The smell of rot and decay set in Peter tried to get out, but the bodies surrounded him. A thousand souls screaming for justice and vengeance.
"A toast, my friends! To humanity! May it enjoy its last few months of prosperity before it is devoured by my flames. Drink up!" James laughed insanely, savoring every drop of fear and confusion James and Wang-mu felt. His voice faded and a small click resounded through the dark silence. The doors were opened.
~~~~~~~~
A woman, near middle age was on board a large space shuttle. Alone it housed close to nine hundred passengers, all looking to go home after a heated discussion over the descolada. Home. She hadn't been home in years. But, she was following her dreams. She was a xenobiologist and her recent assignments had taken her away from her colony world. But now her work was finished. She could see her husband again, her mother and father...and her old love. She hadn't forgiven herself for what she put him through, even though it wasn't her fault. Lost in her thoughts, she was startled when the speakers blared to life.
"Lusitania in five minutes." She was overjoyed. Five minutes from home.
The ship gave a jolt and spiraled violently, knocking her from her seat.
She got up from the floor, slightly bruised, her belongings and everyone else's thrown about and walked down the hallways of panicking passengers. Passed the nervous gossip and frightful ideas, she made her way to the cockpit.
"Captain, what's going on?" There was no answer. An old woman sat near the doorway, sobbing.
"He's dead."
"What?!" She dashed into the cockpit and found the captain sprawled motionlessly across the controls. Two of the other co-pilots also laid coldly in their chairs. Three were still living and scrambled to bring the ship back on course.
"What is going on?!" One of the co-pilots turned towards her with his best calm face, but fear already cracked through his cool exterior.
"We're uh trying to figure that out."
"Are we in danger?"
"Well..."
"Answer me."
"The controls aren't working." That was it. His facade shattered and tears began to well up in his eyes. The other two co-pilots were stone silent, working at the controls, clearly frustrated that they couldn't do anything. Alarm spread across the woman's face. She turned back into the hallways and left for her room. As she passed she heard snatches of conversation. Mothers trying to make calls to their little girls at home, husband and wife clutching each other, and in that moment, the woman knew that there was no hope. It struck her like lightning. Her steps slowed, her gaze became empty, and she slowly sat back down in her seat. Turning her head out the window, she saw an unfamiliar planet. A group of bombers were dropping their deadly cargo on the it, incinerating its forests and blasting its tunnels. One of them shot at the shuttle, missed, and returned to its prior job of decimating the undeveloped planet. She watched, not in horror, but in acceptance. This is what we were doomed to. Humanity was about destruction. We were death.
The shuttle turned towards the planet. In that brief turn, the woman could see that there were other shuttles, just as big if not bigger, also turned at the planet. The shuttles flied straight toward the ground.
'The fuel...' she thought 'could burn everything to hell'. No tears came, she just continued to watch as they hurtled towards death. A young man, no more than twenty, nudged her. She glanced at him and his extended hand. Looking around, she saw that everyone was hugging each other, holding hands, keeping the nothingness away. Complete strangers. Faced with oblivion they find comfort in each other and enjoy it, even when nothing else mattered. How had she forgotten? Her first love took a part of her with him, unintentionally, but now she understood. In the face of adversity, humans received the only protection they ever needed from the heart.
~~~~~~~~
People don't take the time to appreciate things anymore. They don't wonder or guess or think or ask questions. But anyone gazing up at the sky from Lusitania that night would have seen a small, far-off star go out.
~~~~~~~~
