I've run out of amusing things to say about how seaQuest and its characters
are not mine. So I'll just not say it. Oh...darn.
Snowdrops and roses and noses on kittens to all my reviewers (think about it, kittens without noses would look pretty weird...): pari106, sara, Pheniox-Skye, ano, Diena, KatKnits00, Mar and PhoenixTears80. I'm glad you're still enjoying this even though the action content has gone down!
(Posh English voice): Poor old Lucas! He does get into some scrapes, doesn't he? I wonder what he will do next? Let's find out...
Pro Patria Mori
Chapter 11
"Good morning Lucas," Robert smiled as he sailed cheerily through the door. The boy was sitting in his usual place and his usual posture. His face was blank as always, but Robert looked twice, thinking there was something hard about his eyes that morning.
"Is something wrong?" he asked anxiously. No response. Robert was disappointed: he had hoped that after the breakthrough of the day before, Lucas might be ready to talk. But it seemed not to be the case. Oh well, he thought, sighing inwardly. Rome wasn't built in a day. And that stuff about his parents must have come as a shock.
He sat down, smiling encouragingly at Lucas. He found himself feeling slightly uneasy under that gaze, though, an emotion that he had not felt for some time. He cleared his throat.
"Well," he said, "I guess you're wondering what was going on earlier, huh?" Earlier they had been in a minor skirmish. Several torpedoes had exploded near seaQuest and caused the boat to rock slightly. "Well, we're down by the border with the Pacific South-West Federation as you know, on a peace- keeping mission, and..." He stopped suddenly as he heard a chair clattering. Lucas was on his feet, still handcuffed to the table, and he looked livid.
"Peace-keeping? Don't give me this doublespeak bullshit, Robert! The UEO is about war, not peace!"
Robert gaped up at him, speechless. He was unable to find any meaningful words to fill the void that had suddenly opened up in his brain. "Wh-," was all he managed before Lucas spoke again, eyes flashing.
"You know something? You need to grow up and face the real world. Your government isn't interested in freedom and democracy. It's interested in power and money, the same as all the rest."
"B-but," Robert stuttered, "we didn't kill your parents, Lucas..."
"Do you think that matters anymore?" Lucas shook his head angrily. "A lot of people I know are dead Robert, not just my parents. A lot of people are dead, period. The UEO's hands are as dirty as everyone else's. When I was seven we had to escape our colony because the UEO was attacking it. One of my teachers was killed, some of the children..."
Robert was standing up now too, getting over his first shock. "The UEO liberated those colonies from tyranny!"
Lucas' lip curled in disgust. "I see you've swallowed the party line, hook, line and sinker," he said, his voice sharp with bitterness. "Do you think it makes any difference to the people in those colonies which confederation they're being oppressed by? It's hard to exercise your democratic rights from inside a body bag."
Robert shook his head. "The Free Nations government has been lying to you all your life, Lucas! It's time to listen to the truth."
Lucas leaned in closer. "Don't you think I know that? I've always known it. It's the job of governments to lie. The only reason why we're on different sides in this war is geography, Robert. You're not fighting because your cause is more just than mine, you're fighting because you're a UEO citizen and you want to protect your home and your loved ones. Don't you think I want that too?" His face was almost wistful now. "Don't you think that's what we all want? It's time to wise up, kid. You and I, we're just pawns. Only difference is, I know it. I don't dispute the evidence when it's right before my eyes. What about you, Robert?" his blue eyes blazed mercilessly. "I know you've mastered doublespeak. How about doublethink?"
Robert found himself unable to look away, his gaze locked onto Lucas'. He felt as if he was falling, being drawn in to a great furnace that burned with a cold fire. At the last minute he wrenched his eyes away with a choking sob, turned and ran out of the room, slamming the hatchway with a loud clang.
Lucas watched him go, his expression a mixture of anger and pity. Then he sat down again and the mask slipped over his face once more.
"Robert, would you just calm down? You're giving me a headache!" Krieg wailed as Robert paced energetically round his quarters, waving his arms in the air.
"No I will not calm down!" yelled Robert. "How dare he?"
Krieg shook his head. "I don't understand what you're so shook up about," he said. "I mean, come on, the kid's been brought up by the Alliance of Free Nations. Of course he's not going to think the UEO is the Second Coming." He jumped up suddenly and stood in front of Robert, blocking the young man's progress. His friend eyed him angrily. "Come on, buddy, just sit down," he pleaded. "Let's talk about this properly."
Robert looked mutinous for a moment, then sighed and sat down on the bunk. "You know what?" said Krieg. "I'm not sure it's what the kid said so much as what he didn't say that's upsetting you. You were so psyched last night after he spoke to you. I guess you were expecting something a little less... hostile?"
Robert shook his head, breathing deeply. "It's not that," he said, trying to keep his voice steady. "At least, not just that. It's just... I've tried so hard to convince him, to bring him over to our side, and..."
"And you thought he trusted you," Krieg finished. "Robert, did you ever stop to think that it's not about you at all? That maybe the kid is right?"
Robert flushed deep red and glared at Krieg. The older man raised his hands in surrender. "Woah! Don't shoot the messenger!" he said in a placatory tone. "I'm just saying, think about it: no government has ever been perfect. Every confederation is a mixture of bad and good. Just because the UEO constitution has a commitment to upholding human rights and seeking peace doesn't mean that those who run it have any interest in sticking to that constitution. And like he said, in the end, when you're dead, you're dead, whether you were killed by peace-keepers or war-mongers."
"You're taking his side!" Robert said angrily.
"No I'm not," Krieg said quietly. "I'm just trying to get you to see things from a different perspective. I know you've been brought up to believe that the UEO is the only force for good in this world, but I just want you to realise that things might not be quite that simple." He stood up. He'd had enough of this argument, and he thought Robert needed some time to think. "Look, I'm going to bed," he said, not unkindly. "But you think about it, ok?" He felt Robert's fuming stare burning into his back all the way down the corridor.
The woman's voice was like cool water. He stood, mesmerised by the cadences. He couldn't hear what was being said, just a sweet, gentle murmuring. He felt a smile spread across his face, and then felt someone touch him on the shoulder.
He reacted in an instant, bringing both hands up towards the source of the touch with calculated force. He felt resistance, heard a muffled shout of surprise and the sound of someone hitting the floor. Then he was sitting up, staring into the darkness, trying to remember where he was. The memory wasn't long in coming. He slipped off the bed, crouching, waiting for reprisals, for a jackboot on his neck and the inevitable end of this quiet routine.
"Jesus Christ, Lucas," came a voice from the other side of the room, "you almost broke my nose!"
Lucas – he had started thinking of himself as Lucas now, despite numerous reprimands from his inner Braithwaite – rose to his feet. "Robert?" he said tentatively.
A dim light began to glow in the room, and Lucas saw the young lieutenant ruefully rubbing his face. "That's a hell of a punch you pack there," he said with a lopsided smile. "Almost knocked me out. Again."
Lucas frowned in confusion. "What are you doing here? It can't be morning yet."
"Nah. I couldn't sleep," Robert crossed the room and sat on the bed. Lucas sat down beside him, hardly realising that he had finally broken his silence for good. "I've been thinking about what you said."
Lucas raised an eyebrow. "And?"
Robert sighed. "I guess you're right. At least, some of the things you said were right. But you've got to realise, there's no way the Free Nations is ever going to win this war. It'll be swallowed up by one confederation or other. And despite what you say, I still believe the UEO is a better deal than the Chao Dai or the Pacific South-West."
"So you think I should just betray my confederation, just like that?" Lucas asked, his voice cold.
Robert watched him for a moment. The feeling of kinship seemed especially strong to him at that moment. "How old were you when you first killed someone, Lucas?"
The boy turned his head away, looking straight in front. The softness of sleep in his features was gone, replaced by the hardened lines that Robert was familiar with. "I was nine," he said bluntly.
"That must have been before you were even in the navy," Robert said softly.
Lucas shrugged. "It was part of basic training at the school," he said tonelessly. "The command didn't want soldiers to be faced with it for the first time in battle."
"Who was it?"
"A UEO spy. At least," Lucas lowered his gaze, "that's what they said."
Robert stood up and crossed to the other side of the room, picked up the thick folder and returned to the bed, placing it in Lucas' arms. "I've never killed anyone, myself," he said. "If you were in the UEO, you wouldn't even have been allowed to enlist yet. You would still be at high school, thinking about life, not death."
Lucas opened the cover of the file and gazed down at the photograph of his father, brushing his fingertips over it gently. Robert got off the bed again and crouched in front of Lucas, staring up into his eyes. For the first time he saw nothing in them but loss and confusion.
"You don't owe them anything, Lucas," he said gently, placing his hands on the boy's wrists. "You don't owe them anything at all."
But Lucas was not looking at him; he was staring at the picture of his long- dead father.
Snowdrops and roses and noses on kittens to all my reviewers (think about it, kittens without noses would look pretty weird...): pari106, sara, Pheniox-Skye, ano, Diena, KatKnits00, Mar and PhoenixTears80. I'm glad you're still enjoying this even though the action content has gone down!
(Posh English voice): Poor old Lucas! He does get into some scrapes, doesn't he? I wonder what he will do next? Let's find out...
Pro Patria Mori
Chapter 11
"Good morning Lucas," Robert smiled as he sailed cheerily through the door. The boy was sitting in his usual place and his usual posture. His face was blank as always, but Robert looked twice, thinking there was something hard about his eyes that morning.
"Is something wrong?" he asked anxiously. No response. Robert was disappointed: he had hoped that after the breakthrough of the day before, Lucas might be ready to talk. But it seemed not to be the case. Oh well, he thought, sighing inwardly. Rome wasn't built in a day. And that stuff about his parents must have come as a shock.
He sat down, smiling encouragingly at Lucas. He found himself feeling slightly uneasy under that gaze, though, an emotion that he had not felt for some time. He cleared his throat.
"Well," he said, "I guess you're wondering what was going on earlier, huh?" Earlier they had been in a minor skirmish. Several torpedoes had exploded near seaQuest and caused the boat to rock slightly. "Well, we're down by the border with the Pacific South-West Federation as you know, on a peace- keeping mission, and..." He stopped suddenly as he heard a chair clattering. Lucas was on his feet, still handcuffed to the table, and he looked livid.
"Peace-keeping? Don't give me this doublespeak bullshit, Robert! The UEO is about war, not peace!"
Robert gaped up at him, speechless. He was unable to find any meaningful words to fill the void that had suddenly opened up in his brain. "Wh-," was all he managed before Lucas spoke again, eyes flashing.
"You know something? You need to grow up and face the real world. Your government isn't interested in freedom and democracy. It's interested in power and money, the same as all the rest."
"B-but," Robert stuttered, "we didn't kill your parents, Lucas..."
"Do you think that matters anymore?" Lucas shook his head angrily. "A lot of people I know are dead Robert, not just my parents. A lot of people are dead, period. The UEO's hands are as dirty as everyone else's. When I was seven we had to escape our colony because the UEO was attacking it. One of my teachers was killed, some of the children..."
Robert was standing up now too, getting over his first shock. "The UEO liberated those colonies from tyranny!"
Lucas' lip curled in disgust. "I see you've swallowed the party line, hook, line and sinker," he said, his voice sharp with bitterness. "Do you think it makes any difference to the people in those colonies which confederation they're being oppressed by? It's hard to exercise your democratic rights from inside a body bag."
Robert shook his head. "The Free Nations government has been lying to you all your life, Lucas! It's time to listen to the truth."
Lucas leaned in closer. "Don't you think I know that? I've always known it. It's the job of governments to lie. The only reason why we're on different sides in this war is geography, Robert. You're not fighting because your cause is more just than mine, you're fighting because you're a UEO citizen and you want to protect your home and your loved ones. Don't you think I want that too?" His face was almost wistful now. "Don't you think that's what we all want? It's time to wise up, kid. You and I, we're just pawns. Only difference is, I know it. I don't dispute the evidence when it's right before my eyes. What about you, Robert?" his blue eyes blazed mercilessly. "I know you've mastered doublespeak. How about doublethink?"
Robert found himself unable to look away, his gaze locked onto Lucas'. He felt as if he was falling, being drawn in to a great furnace that burned with a cold fire. At the last minute he wrenched his eyes away with a choking sob, turned and ran out of the room, slamming the hatchway with a loud clang.
Lucas watched him go, his expression a mixture of anger and pity. Then he sat down again and the mask slipped over his face once more.
"Robert, would you just calm down? You're giving me a headache!" Krieg wailed as Robert paced energetically round his quarters, waving his arms in the air.
"No I will not calm down!" yelled Robert. "How dare he?"
Krieg shook his head. "I don't understand what you're so shook up about," he said. "I mean, come on, the kid's been brought up by the Alliance of Free Nations. Of course he's not going to think the UEO is the Second Coming." He jumped up suddenly and stood in front of Robert, blocking the young man's progress. His friend eyed him angrily. "Come on, buddy, just sit down," he pleaded. "Let's talk about this properly."
Robert looked mutinous for a moment, then sighed and sat down on the bunk. "You know what?" said Krieg. "I'm not sure it's what the kid said so much as what he didn't say that's upsetting you. You were so psyched last night after he spoke to you. I guess you were expecting something a little less... hostile?"
Robert shook his head, breathing deeply. "It's not that," he said, trying to keep his voice steady. "At least, not just that. It's just... I've tried so hard to convince him, to bring him over to our side, and..."
"And you thought he trusted you," Krieg finished. "Robert, did you ever stop to think that it's not about you at all? That maybe the kid is right?"
Robert flushed deep red and glared at Krieg. The older man raised his hands in surrender. "Woah! Don't shoot the messenger!" he said in a placatory tone. "I'm just saying, think about it: no government has ever been perfect. Every confederation is a mixture of bad and good. Just because the UEO constitution has a commitment to upholding human rights and seeking peace doesn't mean that those who run it have any interest in sticking to that constitution. And like he said, in the end, when you're dead, you're dead, whether you were killed by peace-keepers or war-mongers."
"You're taking his side!" Robert said angrily.
"No I'm not," Krieg said quietly. "I'm just trying to get you to see things from a different perspective. I know you've been brought up to believe that the UEO is the only force for good in this world, but I just want you to realise that things might not be quite that simple." He stood up. He'd had enough of this argument, and he thought Robert needed some time to think. "Look, I'm going to bed," he said, not unkindly. "But you think about it, ok?" He felt Robert's fuming stare burning into his back all the way down the corridor.
The woman's voice was like cool water. He stood, mesmerised by the cadences. He couldn't hear what was being said, just a sweet, gentle murmuring. He felt a smile spread across his face, and then felt someone touch him on the shoulder.
He reacted in an instant, bringing both hands up towards the source of the touch with calculated force. He felt resistance, heard a muffled shout of surprise and the sound of someone hitting the floor. Then he was sitting up, staring into the darkness, trying to remember where he was. The memory wasn't long in coming. He slipped off the bed, crouching, waiting for reprisals, for a jackboot on his neck and the inevitable end of this quiet routine.
"Jesus Christ, Lucas," came a voice from the other side of the room, "you almost broke my nose!"
Lucas – he had started thinking of himself as Lucas now, despite numerous reprimands from his inner Braithwaite – rose to his feet. "Robert?" he said tentatively.
A dim light began to glow in the room, and Lucas saw the young lieutenant ruefully rubbing his face. "That's a hell of a punch you pack there," he said with a lopsided smile. "Almost knocked me out. Again."
Lucas frowned in confusion. "What are you doing here? It can't be morning yet."
"Nah. I couldn't sleep," Robert crossed the room and sat on the bed. Lucas sat down beside him, hardly realising that he had finally broken his silence for good. "I've been thinking about what you said."
Lucas raised an eyebrow. "And?"
Robert sighed. "I guess you're right. At least, some of the things you said were right. But you've got to realise, there's no way the Free Nations is ever going to win this war. It'll be swallowed up by one confederation or other. And despite what you say, I still believe the UEO is a better deal than the Chao Dai or the Pacific South-West."
"So you think I should just betray my confederation, just like that?" Lucas asked, his voice cold.
Robert watched him for a moment. The feeling of kinship seemed especially strong to him at that moment. "How old were you when you first killed someone, Lucas?"
The boy turned his head away, looking straight in front. The softness of sleep in his features was gone, replaced by the hardened lines that Robert was familiar with. "I was nine," he said bluntly.
"That must have been before you were even in the navy," Robert said softly.
Lucas shrugged. "It was part of basic training at the school," he said tonelessly. "The command didn't want soldiers to be faced with it for the first time in battle."
"Who was it?"
"A UEO spy. At least," Lucas lowered his gaze, "that's what they said."
Robert stood up and crossed to the other side of the room, picked up the thick folder and returned to the bed, placing it in Lucas' arms. "I've never killed anyone, myself," he said. "If you were in the UEO, you wouldn't even have been allowed to enlist yet. You would still be at high school, thinking about life, not death."
Lucas opened the cover of the file and gazed down at the photograph of his father, brushing his fingertips over it gently. Robert got off the bed again and crouched in front of Lucas, staring up into his eyes. For the first time he saw nothing in them but loss and confusion.
"You don't owe them anything, Lucas," he said gently, placing his hands on the boy's wrists. "You don't owe them anything at all."
But Lucas was not looking at him; he was staring at the picture of his long- dead father.