Part 1 - Fires of Revolution

Chapter 14 - Answers to New Questions

Three days had passed since Gwen and Miles' arrival at the headquarters. Miles said little to anyone; he seemed to be consumed by his own thoughts, and nothing else bothered him. He hardly ate, at night he would lie awake for hours on end. Gwen felt nothing but concern. She had tried to speak to him on many occasions to try and coax even a hint about what was wrong out of him, yet all she got was silence, or 'I don't want to talk about it'. Edward had equally expressed his concerns, but unsurprisingly Miles refused to open up to him as well. Now, Gwen and Edward were sitting in the admiral's office. Miles had disappeared to wherever it was that he usually disappeared to.

"Is there nothing you can do? You couldn't make him an SGC officer and order him to tell us what's wrong?" Asked Gwen, racking her brain in a final ditch effort to try and find a solution.

"No. There's nothing I can do like that. Only a counsellor can do that."

"Then make him an officer and send him to a counsellor."

"It doesn't work like that. Sometimes I wish it did but if I made it like that I'd be told to go back to INGSOC."

"INGSOC?"

"It's from a book called 1984. Found in dimensions 9633 and 9634, probably some others as well. They're a political party who took dictatorship to another level. Basically, instead of being like Hitler and employing your kids to spy on you, they employed your walls by sticking a TV with a camera and stuff in them. Everywhere you went, you were watched. If you did something even the slightest bit out of line, you'd be up against the wall in front of the firing squad faster than you can say 'oops'."

"I don't get how that's relevant?"

"Spying on your every thought, every action. That sort of thing."

"I still don't quite see it."

"If I order Miles to tell us what's on his mind, then it makes me look like I want to know everything that everyone thinks for fear that they're plotting something against me. Or something like that. I think I've lost where I was going with that one."

"I think so too."

The office fell into silence.

A few minutes later, Edward made to break the silence. However, just as he opened his mouth, two beeps sounded from the badge on his chest. Gwen noticed for the first time that it was the same 'X' with the circle that was engraved on many of the doors around the hangar area. Edward sighed and tapped the badge.

"Go ahead."

"This is station control. Reporting an unauthorised launch of a small craft."

"Can't the security taskforce deal with it?"

"Our scans indicate it was the boy who was placed in your care."

Edward's face became tense.

"Understood. Inform SGC Resurgence to standby for departure."

"Aye, sir."

"Melbourne out."

Gwen stood up.

"What is going on with him?" She said to herself.

"We can ask him again when we catch him." Edward tapped his badge again. "Admiral Melbourne to Resurgence."

There was a moment of silence, then a person replied.

"Go ahead, sir."

"Two for transfer."

"Only reading a single signature in the vicinity, sir."

"Standby."

Edward opened a drawer on his desk and pulled out a badge identical to his. He passed it to Gwen who stuck it on in the same place Edward had it.

"Try again, Resurgence."

"We have you. Transfer in progress."

Gwen's vision slowly went black.

A moment later, her vision returned and she found herself standing in a room similar to the transport room aboard the USS Enterprise. Edward was standing next to her. Instantly, he stepped off the pad and speed-walked to the door. Gwen followed, unsure what else to do. As they walked briskly through the corridors, Edward tapped his badge again.

"All hands: general quarters. Standby for code yellow departure."

His voice echoed throughout the ship. They entered a lift. The doors closed, revealing another 'X' with the circle. Gwen realised that it was the Sol Galactic Command insignia. After a few seconds, they opened again revealing the bridge of the SGC Resurgence.

"Admiral on the bridge!" Announced a voice.

"Return to stations. Ops, report." Edward replied in a commanding tone.

Gwen took a moment to take in the layout of the bridge. At the front, there was a large viewscreen similar to the Enterprise. Two consoles, both manned, were placed either side of the centre of the bridge, just in front of it. Two chairs sat directly behind them. Cushioned benches lined the area beside those. Just behind the chairs and benches was a rise which led up to a single panel. This person was the one who responded to Edward's request for a report, so Gwen figured it was the Ops station.

"We're ready for departure on your command, Admiral."

"Good." Edward sat down in the right hand chair.

He nodded at Gwen and pointed at the bench next to him.

"Is the escort fleet ready to go?"

"Not all of it, sir. About a third are ready, however. The rest are all down as inactive."

"Understood. Tell the actives to form up as we depart. Helm, let's get going."

"Aye." Replied the person sitting at the left desk in front of the screen.

The ship began to rumble a little as it started moving forwards.

"Ops, can I get a report on our fugitive?"

"Control reports he jumped to 4136."

"Copy. Alert control we will be jumping inside the no-jump zone. Inform the fleet as well. What class of vessel was it?"

"Cerberus Class light fighter. Apparently the pilot didn't seem particularly skilled."

"I can guess. Helm, report when we are far enough from other ships to jump to 4136."

"ETA: twenty seconds, sir. Fleet will be formed up in ten."

"Acknowledged."

Miles was almost certain he had the hang of this, now. His small craft was designed to be operated by a single person. He was a single person, and would be even more-so when Gwen found out he had stolen this ship. As he emerged from his jump, a terrifying sight greeted him: an armada of ships floated in neat ranks, stretching as far as the mountains beyond Osgiliath. Miles' eyes widened in fear. He had flown into a trap. No, if this was a trap for him then only a fraction of the number of ships would be present. They were here for another reason. He looked over his shoulder to look at Minas Tirith. The city was gone. All that remained were the shattered ruins of the mountain side and small specks of white inside the debris. No person could have survived. Miles turned his attention back to the task at hand. He put his ship into a sharp dive, only pulling it out again when he was skimming the tree tops. Gently, he rolled the craft so that it turned towards the west.

Over an hour later, darkness had fallen. Miles' ship had landed hard, demolishing its front landing leg. However, he was unhurt. Climbing down, he was overcome by his fear of the darkness again. The trees rose far above his head, blocking out all light. Suddenly, he heard something in the trees. He pulled his phone out and switched on the torch. As he raised it, he almost had a heart attack. He was staring up the shaft of an arrow. An elf held it to his head.

"Your arrival is expected. You will follow me." The elf said, lowering the bow.

Miles nodded. The elf turned and began to walk away quickly. It amazed him just how quietly they moved.

A short time later, Miles found himself standing amongst trees lit brightly by the lights of the homes of elves. He gazed up in wonder. Only a few months before, he would never have believed this stuff existed. He longed for those days to return. He longed for a time when the images from the Mirror did not haunt his every thought. He was suddenly aware that the elf he had followed was nowhere to be seen. A light rustle of leaves made him look around. There, in all its glory, was the Mirror. What a fool he was; terrified of what he had already seen, yet he had returned to see more. Lady Galadriel stood on the other side of the Mirror. She held the same silver jug as in the throne room. With a slow movement, she poured the water into the bowl as she had done before.

"It is with sorrow and fear which you return." She said, this time her lips moving.

Her every word seemed to hang in the air.

"If I look in the Mirror again, will I see something different?" Miles asked.

"It is as before. Not even the wisest know what the Mirror will reveal."

Miles stepped up to the pedestal again. He took a series of deep breaths, trying to calm his racing heart. There was nothing to lose. He looked down into its undisturbed surface. Images began to form as before. He saw himself cradling a child, the same one as the time before. Gwen entered the picture, even more beautiful than Miles thought her now. Suddenly, the image began to glow orange. Flames grew into it, burning the sight away until it showed another image. Hundreds of objects blazed in the night sky over the ruins of Minas Tirith. Many fell to the ground, setting Osgiliath and the plains ablaze. One object grew gradually bigger until Miles could plainly see the grey writing that broke its pure white paint: 'SGC Resurgence'. The image carried him through a wall, bringing him to another scene of fire and darkness. It closed in on a body which lay broken and burnt. Gwen. As the picture closed in on her face, her eyes opened. The sight began to turn and zoom out again. She was running. The streets of New York blazed behind her as she drew two silver swords and faced down her enemy. Golden sparks raged outside the image, but Miles knew they were there. He saw himself and the child lying on the street behind her. He couldn't take it anymore. Taking a gasp of breath, he looked away from the Mirror. Galadriel opened her eyes.

"I have to know. What is it I'm seeing?" Miles pleaded with her, hoping his question would not end with more to ask.

"It is not very different from what you have seen before. But its course is to be decided far sooner."

"The child is mine, it has to be."

"The child may be the last hope for all who seek freedom. It shall never truly know the part it may play in what is to come. The course of this war stands upon the eye of a needle. Should it lose its balance then all shall fall into darkness. There are many ways for it to fall, but only two ways it can end."

"Gwen isn't pregnant, though. Me and her have never...you know."

"The Mirror shows all that may come to pass, in every reality. You shall understand."

"Why does everyone keep giving me half-truths? Why the riddles? They help nobody."

Galadriel closed her eyes.

"Your heart will know which way to turn. But your mind knows the road ahead. You must allow yourself to live, in order to survive."

Miles sighed.

"Can I talk about what I see in the Mirror?"

"This answer you will find only inside yourself. Only you can decide whether to share, or to withhold. The night grows old. You must go if you are to choose the path you take."

Miles stepped away from the pedestal, his mind racing with so many questions. But Galadriel was right. He had to go.

"Thank you."

Galadriel bowed her head as the elf from before appeared and guided Miles back to his ship.

Crossovers in this Chapter

- Lord of the Rings
- 1984 (a little reference to it)