See the Light

Posted on Sun Oct 17th, 2021 @ 9:53am by James Green

Mission: MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Location: New Canaan, ASD platform
Timeline: Epilogue, Green Legacy mission
876 words - 1.8 OF Standard Post Measure

The facility was empty. The motion-activated main lights had long gone dark from inactivity, leaving most areas heavily cast in shadows. The northern wall of the ASD first floor was nothing but windows, looking far out into space and the stars beyond. Just outside the viewport was an imposingly large pair of laser cannons, which were bolted straight into the surface of the asteroid the facility was built on. There was silence, as there had been since the Anti Space Defense staff were recalled to the colony on the surface.

There would be no one there to stop her.

A wash of white light spun in the air in concentric waves, leaving behind a petite figure in green. As the last sparkle of energy faded away, a sigh of relief escaped her lips. Her clothes were impeccably clean, white shirt and jade vest still pressed and wrinkle-free. It was only out of habit that she brushed at her uniform edges as she walked, confirming their condition was as good as it seemed. Her steps took her to the main console at the fore of the room. Her left hand brushed a stray lock of dark brown hair away from her eyes as her right hand hovered for a moment over the panel. The console detected the motion of her hand above it and activated to full brightness, showing a laundry list of boot-up activities in progress. Her subdermal implant was detected and her account was logged in visually on the screen through an automated script.

A message showed on the main console. It read, ‘New Canaan ASD - Station 1, First Secretary Illia Tolten, full access granted.’ The giant laser canons outside began to rumble the foundations of the facility ever so slightly as main power generators began revving up once more. She looked over to the east side of the large windows where a massive spaceship was hovering in high orbit.

Illia’s satisfied smile quickly disappeared as she realized, far too late, that something wasn’t right. The console wasn’t the only thing in the facility that was motion-activated.

“You know,” The deep, smooth voice behind her pierced the silence as something cold and metallic pressed into the back of her skull. “I figured, of all the people who’d show up, it would probably be you.”

Illia’s body tensed as she felt, and heard, the light clink of the pistol’s first action lock the hammer into place. A feeling as cold as the unfired weapon crept down her spine. She couldn’t help herself as she shivered in reaction, her breath catching and expelling rapidly through her clenched teeth as the reality had begun settling in: she’d been outmaneuvered.

There was a small pause as she brought herself back together, swallowing visibly but otherwise staying completely still. “Vice Marshal Loen Reigh…”

“Very good,” He said with more than a little satisfaction.

“If you’re here,” She contemplated, “and James is up there,” she said with a nod towards the Federation starship out the window, “then…”

“Yes, you’re right, there’s no one in the line of succession left in the military who actually has the guts to take over during the crisis down on New Canaan. No one except…” He pressed the barrel a little harder into her skull.

“Me?” Illia asked sheepishly.

“Don’t play games, Madam First Secretary,” Loen kept his tone level, “You came here to turn our own space defenses on the USS Elysium, in hopes of taking out both our supposed enemy in the Federation and our esteemed leader in one fell swoop. You wanted the Presidency for yourself.”

She didn’t deny it. Illia just shrugged, “That bastard has been holding us back with his,” She spoke with bile in her words, “friendly nature, and military honor.” She turned about, risking the possibility that Loen would shoot her for doing so. He didn’t. Instead, he held her gaze and renewed his weapon’s aim onto her forehead. “James Green knew where the outcasts were on multiple occasions.” She waved her right arm in exasperation, “Each and every time, he gave them the time to escape, just so the people of New Canaan could have a bogeyman! He told me,” she said between angry breaths, “that if they surrendered, he would send them to be rehabilitated and reintegrated into our society!”

“You mean tortured and brainwashed,” Loen’s eyes closed to slits.

It was finally coming out, her aggravation building into a full scream, “He should have just killed them! All of them!” The makeup on her face was starting to sweat and smear away as Illias’ passion shook her, her hands tensing into fists.

For a long time, Loen and Ilia simply stared at each other. Her breathing was finally settling down. The violent shaking was mostly gone.

“You,” the ex-Vice Marshal said, “would be an excellent candidate to inherit the Green Legacy.”

She smirked, “Starting to see the light, Vice Marshal?”

The trigger pulled. The weapon fired. A red pulpy mass flew back and splattered onto the giant window behind her. The First Secretary’s body collapsed unceremoniously onto the floor.

“Yes,” Loen admitted, quietly; solemnly. “Yes, I am.”