From: V. Rahul Chandra (vrccan_at_gmail.com)
Date: Thu Jan 11 2007 - 21:21:18 PST
========== “Discussions: Final” Con’t from my own “Discussions, Part III” ========== Location: ESPERION Stardate: 2422 [2.7] 0111.2340 Scene: Rashas Compound Interior “Some of these balloons float really slowly,” one of the guards commented, poking one of them and drawing an angry glare from the man filling each balloon. “Don’t touch them!” he ordered. “They might burst!” The guard looked at him as if he were insane. “So what?” he asked. “They’re just filled with helium right? Nothing wrong with a little helium floating around.” “Priest Rashas specifically left instructions that these balloons were to be handled as little as possible!” the man shouted. “Okay, okay, just calm down,” the guard turned around and rolled his eyes, walking back into the main room of the compound while the man got back to the work of filling the balloons. It was true that helium was harmless, but the balloons were not just being filled with helium. He’d left just enough helium in each tank to allow the balloons to float, and the rest of it was white phosphorus. As he filled one balloon, he added a two hour countdown automatic detonator into one of them, light enough to allow the balloon to still float. Within two hours, it would detonate, and every single balloon would explode, resulting in an overall gigantic event that would be seen for miles, and felt even further. **As ordered, it will be spectacular,** the man thought to himself as he finished filling the last balloon. “The Kwami are ready,” he reported, and as the guards herded the balloons out into the ceremonial room, he once again reminded them to be careful. “I think we can handle a few balloons,” the guard replied sarcastically, as they began to work. The man shrugged, and after loading the now empty cylinders back onto the tray, began to head for the exit. ============ Time Index: Simultaneously Scene: Palthainon Compound “Is something bothering you, young Daniel?” Daniel’s thoughts were interrupted by the voice of the man he’d been charged with the safety of. “Bothering me, sir?” he asked. “You seem distracted,” Palthainon observed. Daniel’s eyes slowly lowered to the wedding band on his left ring finger, and he gently touched it with the index finger of his right hand, before sighing and shaking his head. “I just seem to be thinking a lot lately,” he said. “About what?” the two had entered into one of the rooms Palthainon used to entertain guests, and at a gesture from the old priest, Daniel gratefully sank into one of the chairs, Palthainon likewise taking a seat. “I recently got married,” Daniel said. “And I mean really recently – we’d barely gotten any time together before this assignment came through.” “Did your superiors know of your marriage?” “They did,” Daniel nodded. “And they gave us the chance to skip this mission, but I talked it over with my wife and we decided that it would be selfish to do anything but carry on as normal.” Palthainon smiled. “You both are wise beyond your years,” he commented. “Where is your wife now?” “She’s back on the ship,” Daniel said. He looked out one of the windows, and noted that it was night – almost time for the start of the ceremony of the stars. “She was assigned to monitor the situation from above.” Palthainon nodded his understanding. “When two lovers make a commitment to each other for the rest of their lives, it is written in one of our spiritual texts that they share a bond. Like any other bond, when the two sides are pulled apart, it tightens in the middle, causing pain to both sides.” “In this case the pain is from not being next to her,” Daniel said. Then he smiled wryly. “But what can I do? Both of us have jobs that require this, and probably will require it frequently.” “There are always trade-offs that must be made in life,” Palthainon said. “And we choose to make the ones we believe will make us better for them. Do you truly love her?” “I’m crazy about her,” the young marine replied softly. “Then it is a good trade-off,” Palthainon replied. “Because for every one downside, there is more than one upside.” “Have you ever loved anyone?” Daniel asked. “But of course,” the priest replied. “I love a great many things, and a great many people – I love the people of this planet as if they were my own children. The love between a husband and a wife is not the only bond that might be shared.” Daniel nodded his head. “I guess not,” he said. “I just wish I knew how to keep my mind off of it.” “You’re young, and newly wed,” Palthainon replied. “Your feelings of loss when you are not with your wife are very normal, and over time you will learn to develop the discipline to push them away when you need to, just as over time you developed the discipline that goes along with that uniform you wear.” Daniel looked down at his hand again, this time his gaze traveling from his wedding ring to the ring of green ribbon that circled the part of his uniform covering his left wrist. He could still remember that first day of marine boot camp – he’d felt lost then too, just like he did now. Back then, he could never see himself where he was right now. He smiled at Palthainon. With that realization, he suddenly felt better. “Thank you,” he said. ========== Time Index: 1 hour, 55 minutes later Scene: Ceremonial Hall “Thank you all for coming,” Rashas said, his voice ringing out with absolute authority over the throng of gathered people. Between the people currently in the hall, the others in the compound, and the people gathered around the compound watching the event on the monitors, there were over 100,000 people present in the area. “As we all know, we have been ravaged recently by events that the nearly perfect one foresaw,” he said. “But rest assured, our people have suffered worse tremors before, and will live to suffer worse ones in the future.” In one of the innocently floating Kwami balloons, the timer had a minute left on it. “I would like us all to bow our head in silence, in observance of those that have already perished – may we honour their memories.” There was silence throughout the whole compound, as everyone dipped their head. A few people grew restless, and peeked around them to see if anyone was finishing. Finally, Rashas lifted his head again, but before he could even say anything, one of the balloons ignited, starting a chain reaction that turned the compound and the land around it into one big fireball that exploded with such force that it caused tremors throughout the planet. None in the ground of one hundred thousand had time to move, or even time to think, before they were incinerated by the blast. ============= Location: USS PATRIOT Scene: Intel Office -> Corridor -> Turbolift Catherine yawned – she was getting sleepy and thought that it might be about time to turn in for the night, before a bright flash appeared on part of her screen – the part that she’d allocated to monitor the various priest compounds. Quick as her eyes were, she was not able to discern which one the flash had come from before the screen went totally blank, signifying that the PATRIOT had lost their uplink with the planetary databanks. Her eyes widened in surprise at the sheer rapidity of the situation, before a cold wave of fear swept over her. She contacted the bridge, only to be informed by them that the whole electrical grid of the planet seemed to be shot, and that any information at the moment was impossible to come by. She was frozen to inaction for just a second before she got up and sprinted out of her office, down the corridor and towards the turbolift. As she hastily called out her destination to be the bridge, she silently willed for the lift to move faster. A sixth sense developed from years of intense training and combat told her that something was wrong – terribly wrong. And she had no idea which compound had been affected. ============= Location: ESPERION Scene: Palthainon Compound Daniel was about to say something else when a small tremor shook the building, rapidly followed by the lights going out. He was immediately on his feet, light activated on his phaser rifle, and beside the priest. “This might be an attempt sir,” he whispered. “We must get you to a safer place.” “What about the observation room at the top of the building?” Palthainon suggested. “It is small enough that we would be able to see the whole room from any point in it.” “That sounds good,” Daniel nodded. “Instruct me and I’ll lead the way.” Progress was slow, as Daniel insisted on being extremely cautious, and by the time they finally got to the room, it was much later. Daniel looked in disbelief out over the area they could see from the tower. All the buildings were devoid of light, and in one place there was an abundance of it in the form of fire. “That is priest Rashas’ compound,” Palthainon commented, with worry in his voice. Daniel shook his head as he leaned the rifle against the wall. “I don’t think we’ll have to worry about an attempt on your life today sir,” he said. “It looks like the assassin got the person he was after.” “And a lot of innocent people as well,” Palthainon added grimly. ========== NRPG: Tadaaaa! Okay, that does it for my epic writing for now – basically priest Rashas has been assassinated in an extremely visual way – what happens next? Who knows, let’s write it! =D ========== ========== V. Rahul Chandra <vrccan_at_gmail.com> Playing... 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