by Jake Elwood
It was a glorious vision, and Hammett found himself nodding. The poison could be expelled. The threat eliminated, like they'd done with the Hive. Things could be made pure and decent again, with the worst element of Earth society finally purged.
"The lights on the cameras will get brighter when they're transmitting," she said. "Just be yourself. Be yourself, and speak the truth. Okay?"
He nodded again, and she stepped back, choosing a spot with pillars behind her, dramatically lit by a shaft of dusty sunlight. The cameras clustered in front of her and she began to speak.
"Hello, fellow citizens of the United Worlds. This is Janice Ling. I've been away for a while, in exile on Ariadne, but I'm back. I'm here with a man who needs no introduction. Admiral Richard Hammett, the hero of the Battle of Earth, is with me. He's just been released from captivity." Her face hardened. "Not released by the courts, I must emphasize. No, he was released by the only people actually standing up for the laws and rights our republic was founded on. Common citizens with the courage to do what's right!"
It was an impressive bit of rhetoric, buoyed by her obvious sincerity. Hammett could feel her words swaying him. At the same time, though, he found himself growing uneasy. She'd called the world a powder keg, and she seemed determined to light a match.
As if she was reading his mind, she said, "The time of change is upon us! We tried following the rules. We tried the courts, and we tried appealing to our elected representatives. I think you all know where that got us." She scowled into the camera. "Journalists fleeing into exile. A missile fired at demonstrators in Montreal. The erosion or outright suspension of every basic right we hold dear!"
Her hands came up, slashing the air in urgent gestures. "If there is one lesson we've learned since the start of the war, one bitter lesson we've learned through blood and terror, it's that change isn't going to happen until we make it happen. We won't be free of the EDF until the EDF is destroyed!"
But you are free of the EDF. The thought felt traitorous in Hammett's mind, but it wouldn’t go away. Acton's powerless. The EDF is cooped up and surrounded by angry mobs. Their power is gone, and it isn't coming back.
"I know that most of the people listening to me want to act," Janice said. "But you're afraid. Not without reason. We all know what happened to so many brave citizens who've tried to stand up to Acton and his goons. But things have changed. There will be no more missiles coming down from the sky." She leaned toward the nearest camera. "You may not want to take my word for it. That's okay. You don't have to. Here's someone who knows more about Spacecom and its ships than I do. Someone I think you all know you can trust. The hero of the Hive War, Admiral Richard Hammett."
The cameras flew away from her and hovered in front of Hammett. One camera, straight ahead, had an indicator light on top that glowed a bright yellow. Hammett glanced past that intimidating cluster of electronics at Janice, who gave him an encouraging nod.
He took a deep breath and looked into the camera's glowing eye.
"I've just spent a week in a cell," he said. "Before that, I was in the home system of the Hive, fighting alongside colonists and Spacecom personnel, and even a few members of the EDF. Together, we managed to destroy the Hive." He paused, fighting the urge to pant for breath. This was far more terrifying than mere combat. The worst part was, he had no idea what he was going to say.
"It was quite an ordeal," he said. "A lot of good people died. I was pretty sure I wasn't going to make it myself." He closed his eyes for a moment, remembering. "That wasn't the worst part, though." His voice firmed as he realized what he needed to say. "No, the worst part was when I thought I was going to have to battle my fellow human beings." He shook his head. "The EDF brought us to the brink of real disaster. They had some help, in the form of stubborn combativeness from the Naxos colony, and from officers like me. Among us we almost managed to start a civil war."
He jabbed an accusing finger at the camera. "You have to do better! We're all human beings. We all get stupid sometimes. We get scared, we get angry, we make mistakes. The EDF made some appalling blunders, and it was necessary to push back." He paused, breathing heavily, weighing his words. "You won," he said. "We won. There's an interim government. Acton's hiding out. The EDF has lost all credibility. It's lost the ability to harm you."
In the corner of his eye he could see Janice, looking shocked and disappointed. Sanjari was nodding, though. Janice looked at Sanjari and her eyebrows drew together as if she was starting to consider his words.
"There's been enough death," Hammett said. "Destruction feels good while you're doing it, but eventually you have to stop. Reconstruction is where the real work is. It's not exciting, but it's the only part that's actually worthwhile."
He took a step closer to the camera. "You won," he said. "Put down the weapons. It's over."
from the author
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