Yzabel / August 13, 2005

[A draft for a short story I’m trying to put together. It can be seen as specific material, as it’s set in the world I’m working on, and I’m not sure yet whether I’ll manage to give it enough sense to stand on its own, or if it should forever remain stashed in a folder until I publish a longer story presenting said world itself. I’m also still trying my hand at using proper dialogue mechanisms in another language than mine. Please bear with me.]

Et In Arcadia Nos

Once the communications were restrained, Chief Engineer Vall’Eran knew that it was only a matter of hours before the personnel would get at him.”This is going nowhere! What do you want?”Enhanced by the nano-transmitters whirlwinding around him from his personal unit, his voice boomed in the vast conference room of the Core Research Center, covering for a second the shouts of the workers. Coming from all nations of Ewell, from the white-haired Rims to the stern Kellens with their icy gazes, they were all gathered on that day for the same reason, and he couldn’t ignore their claims any more.“We want to go home, that’s what we want!” said a woman’s voice, and room was suddenly made in the crowd around Nee’Ama, who for seven years had been coordinating the five production teams.”We’ve seen the holo-news this morning! The Ministry won’t answer Varsa’s ultimatum, and this means war on our territory! We need to go back to our families, before it’s too late!— I can’t let you go without the Ministry’s approval, and you know this too. We’re all bound by the same contract here.” Vall’Eran did his best to keep his voice calm and controlled; if he was to let room to panic, everything would be lost.An angry murmur rose in the crowd, and the Chief Engineer understood that it had taken them much courage to simply envision what no member of the working class had attempted during so many decades. Since the lead scientists of the Center had agreed to provide their government’s troops with nano-units for the medical section, the floating artifical island stationed fourty miles from Kashia’s Point could any time become a military target as well, whether Varsa or another of the Mornen countries would strike first. More than anger, it was fear that was driving them all on that day.”They won’t do that!” Nee’Ama said; her deep frown betrayed her own attempts at keeping any strong emotion under control. “All incoming flights will soon be cancelled, and from this flyland too! You don’t understand…— No, you don’t! I don’t have this power, Nee’Ama! I can give you access to the secured holo-net to contact your families, but I can’t do more. We don’t want the troops coming down here to take control, do we?”He was right, and they all knew it. Letting them use the network was the only compromise he could work on at the moment. Any strike—a strike! This hadn’t happened in more than four centuries!—or open rebellion would attract unwanted attention on them, and he needed to delay this as much as possible.”Fine. For the moment, we do that. But it’s not over yet, Chief Vall’Eran!” Nee’Ama said with clenched fists. “If you can’t take a decision soon, somebody else will take it for you!”With the last words of this threat echoing under the cristalline dome, the crowd dispersed, those who had family in Ewell hurrying back to their quarters to call them. The regular communication channels had been severely restricted the day before to free the holo-net for news broadcasts; an access to the secured Gold Channel was probably more than most of them had expected when they had gathered early morning and demanded to speak to the chief personnel of the research center.Standing silent on the platform from which he had spoken, watching the workers and low-rank scientists depart, Vall’Eran felt the first taste of defeat in his mouth, as the world was starting to collapse around him.Soon, the soldiers would come no matter what, if only with the excuse of protecting them, and once the military would have a say in his research, they would make a murderer out of him.[To Part 2 | Part 3]

©Yzabel 2005