Hello, my name is Jack.\u00a0 We sometimes get too caught up in trying to keep from dying that we forget to be alive.\u00a0 I promised myself a long time ago to see and recognize everything that makes life worth living.\u00a0 To pursue joy, enjoy beauty, and all those other little fortune cookie statements.\u00a0 Life is about looking back and seeing all the amazing times you had.\u00a0 It is looking forward to all the sights you have yet to see.\u00a0 I plan to live forever, but if I don\u2019t, I\u2019ve lived and I have no regrets.<\/p>\n
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Jack sat on his bed, legs dangling over the edge, and examined the other Jack smiling back at him.\u00a0 He considered the unique position they were in, wondering how exactly to consider it.\u00a0 Were they two people, one genie and one cyber, or were they one person that could be in two places?\u00a0 He frowned.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t see through the other Jack\u2019s eyes, wasn\u2019t experiencing what the other saw, so he supposed that meant they were different people.\u00a0 But the other Jack was an exact copy of himself, or at least should be if the Peloran systems saved everything right.\u00a0 The question of course was whether or not they had.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh Brave New World, that has such people in it,\u201d Betty whispered, and Jack could have sworn he heard the echoes of the redhead that made him audition for a part in that Shakespearean play.\u00a0 He looked at the cyber version of himself and the other man winked at him, obviously having made the same connection.\u00a0 Good.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, I do love<\/em> the Tempest,\u201d Jack said, imagining that amazing redhead on stage with him.<\/p>\n The other Jack let out a long sigh.\u00a0 \u201cMe too.\u00a0 Definitely, me too,\u201d he finished with a wink.<\/p>\n Jack chuckled and shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cBut is it for the same reason I<\/em> do?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAbsolutely,\u201d the other Jack answered, almost looking affronted.\u00a0 \u201cMiranda was\u2026was\u2026\u201d the other Jack trailed off, obviously searching for words.<\/p>\n \u201cHer, oh her, so perfect and so peerless, created of every creature’s best,\u201d Jack filled in for the other man, only slightly blemishing the lines he\u2019d learned all those years ago.\u00a0 Or that they\u2019d<\/em> learned.\u00a0 For the first time, Jack wondered how Betty kept things straight.<\/p>\n \u201cIndeed,\u201d the other Jack responded with a satisfied smile.\u00a0 \u201cYou know, Sam reminds me of her.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack sobered and pulled in a deep breath.\u00a0 \u201cYes.\u00a0 She does.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo you think that\u2019s why you\u2026we<\/em> fell for her?\u201d\u00a0 The other Jack met his eyes and Jack considered his question for several seconds before answering.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s why I was interested<\/em>.\u00a0 We<\/em> were.\u201d\u00a0 Jack shook his head in annoyance.\u00a0 This was going to be really hard.\u00a0 \u201cWhatever.\u201d<\/p>\n Betty laughed from the corner of the room, forcing both of them to turn to look at her.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re interested in anything<\/em> with breasts and a cute caboose<\/em>,\u201d she charged, shaking her head in mock disgust.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, she\u2019s got us there,\u201d the other Jack said with a shrug.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I<\/em> fail to see where that is a bad<\/em> thing,\u201d Jack answered without a pause.<\/p>\n The other Jack pursed his lips, doing an amazing job of acting like he was pondering the matter.\u00a0 \u201cTrue.\u00a0 But we definitely need more than looks for the long term.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cOh yes.\u00a0 Must<\/em> have brains.\u201d<\/p>\n Betty snorted.\u00a0 \u201cThat doesn\u2019t put you on a high pedestal you know?\u00a0 Zombies<\/em> like brains too.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, well,\u201d Jack said with a sniff.\u00a0 \u201cZombies<\/em> are slow and clumsy while we<\/em>\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAre swift and graceful,\u201d the other Jack finished for him as he came to his feet to give her a debonair bow.<\/p>\n \u201cOh God,\u201d Betty said with a look of horror.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re finishing each other\u2019s sentences<\/em> now.\u00a0 Please make it stop.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u00a0 Are we two<\/em> much of a good thing?\u201d Jack asked with a smirk.<\/p>\n Betty rolled her eyes and groaned.\u00a0 \u201cNot the bad puns too?\u201d she said in a helpless tone.\u00a0 \u201cHal?\u00a0 A little help here?\u201d<\/p>\n Hal flickered into existence and affected a gallant stance as he stepped between them and Betty.\u00a0 \u201cNow, now, please stop torturing my girl here.\u201d<\/p>\n The other Jack sighed theatrically and exaggerated a shrug.\u00a0 \u201cI guess this much awesome is just two<\/em> much to bear,\u201d he said with a wink.<\/p>\n Hal snorted.\u00a0 \u201cWell, something<\/em> is at least.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOK.\u00a0 That\u2019s it,\u201d Betty barked, jamming her hands on both hips with a disgusted look.\u00a0 \u201cIf someone<\/em> doesn\u2019t end this I\u2019m<\/em> ending it.\u00a0 And you won\u2019t like<\/em> the way I end it.\u00a0 Capiche?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCompletely,\u201d Hal said with a bow and turned to the cyber Jack.\u00a0 \u201cI am afraid that we really must cut this short.\u00a0 A courier awaits to take you to New Earth.\u00a0 Might I suggest that you hurry?\u00a0 We are diving for action soon.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAh,\u201d the other Jack said and rubbed his chin, looking at Jack with a worried expression.\u00a0 \u201cYou know it seems ironic.\u00a0 I\u2019m about as hard to kill as anything out there, but I\u2019m<\/em> the one going to a heavily fortified world, while you<\/em>\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhile I<\/em> will get the glory for kicking the Shang\u2019s asses across the galaxy,\u201d Jack finished for him with a cocky tone and an airy wave of his hand.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t worry, we all play our parts in war.\u00a0 You<\/em> get to keep the home fires burning while better<\/em> men keep the enemy<\/em> burning,\u201d he finished with a wink and an untroubled shrug.<\/p>\n The other Jack chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cGood luck, Jack,\u201d he said with a smile that showed he understood exactly what Jack meant.\u00a0 Then he gave Jack a sloppy salute.<\/p>\n Jack sighed and nodded.\u00a0 \u201cGood luck, Jack,\u201d he finished with an identical salute.<\/p>\n The other Jack nodded, his holoform flickered, and the cyber left the room.<\/p>\n Hal waited a second before smiling.\u00a0 \u201cThe courier is away.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWow,\u201d Jack said as he turned to Hal in surprise.\u00a0 \u201cThat<\/em> was quick.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I did<\/em> say it was waiting,\u201d Hal returned with a smile, before giving Jack a more serious look.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t worry.\u00a0 We will be watching him.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack frowned as he considered what the words meant.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not certain I like that.\u201d\u00a0 He\u2019d never been one that enjoyed being watched.\u00a0 Unless it was girls doing the watching of course.<\/p>\n Hal nodded in understanding.\u00a0 \u201cYou value your privacy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d Jack said with a grim look.\u00a0 He really didn\u2019t like giving that up.\u00a0 Granted, he\u2019d given it up when he joined the Marines, but this was different.\u00a0 This was\u2026life.\u00a0 Outside the military.\u00a0 And it was Her<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will respect it,\u201d Hal returned.\u00a0 \u201cBut we have<\/em> to observe.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack nodded his acceptance.\u00a0 They\u2019d stopped people from making cybernetic copies of themselves long ago because of problems with the cybers losing their connection with the humanity.\u00a0 When all someone wanted to do was avoid dying, sometimes life went on the back burner.\u00a0 But Jack wanted to live<\/em> so much more than he wanted to just not die.\u00a0 Hopefully that would make the difference.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you.\u201d\u00a0 Hal turned towards the hatch.\u00a0 \u201cNow you really should get moving.\u00a0 The British are diving to deal with the Shang and we will be supporting them.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack jumped to his feet, sniffed his armpits to make certain he didn\u2019t smell too much and grabbed his uniform shirt.\u00a0 \u201cWe aren\u2019t leading the strike?\u201d he asked as he began stuffing his arms in.<\/p>\n \u201cI<\/em> am not,\u201d Hal answered, emphasizing the first word so strongly that Jack knew he had a plan.\u00a0 \u201cWe are not signatories to the Lunar Treaties.\u00a0 You<\/em> however will fly with the British and support them since you are so very obviously<\/em> American and perfectly suited to enforcing the treaties.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAh.\u201d\u00a0 Jack grabbed his trousers and pulled them on one leg at a time before stepping into his boots.\u00a0 \u201cRight.\u201d\u00a0 Jack tightened his belt and grabbed his leather flight jacket.\u00a0 \u201cAre we ready?\u201d he asked, looking at Betty as he slipped it onto his arms.<\/p>\n \u201cAlways,\u201d she answered and her form flickered.\u00a0 Her yellow sundress faded away to be replaced by her full service uniform, complete with matching flight jacket.\u00a0 \u201cShall we go?\u201d she asked with an impish smile.<\/p>\n \u201cWe shall,\u201d Jack returned with a humoring smile and walked past Hal towards the hatch.\u00a0 It opened for him and he stepped into Cowboy Country to see the last of the Cowboys disappearing down the corridor towards the launch bay.\u00a0 He grunted at the sight.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe we should hurry,\u201d he added and followed after them at a jog.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry, I\u2019m warming our systems up,\u201d Betty returned, keeping pace with him.\u00a0 His mind went back to the mad scramble of pilots and cybers on the Constellation<\/em> when the Shang attacked Fort Wichita; how the passageways had been so crowded that the cybers were forced to sit on the shoulders of their pilots in small mode to avoid having someone walk through them.\u00a0 He smiled at her, realizing one more time how the Guardian Light<\/em> was like no warship he\u2019d ever been on.\u00a0 Not that he had a lot of experience with them.\u00a0 He would have to ask Katy about her<\/em> impressions.<\/p>\n Betty raised her eyebrow, a quizzical look on her face.<\/p>\n Jack shrugged, aimed an impish smile at her, and shot down the corridor, into the launch bay.\u00a0 Jack looked up to see the squadron\u2019s mix of Avengers and Hellcats cradled in four rows high, all the way to the end of the large bay.\u00a0 He\u2019d seen the bay empty, and it was a truly mammoth empty space.\u00a0 He still didn\u2019t know how Hal had cleared out the space for it, in addition to the fighters he already carried, but somehow he had without losing anything important.\u00a0 At least Jack hoped nothing important had been lost.\u00a0 But it was difficult to think about just how large the bay was when he was looking at it, filled with Avengers and their much smaller Hellcat cousins.\u00a0 It looked cramped and tiny with the fighters taking up the bulk of the space.\u00a0 Jack licked his lips in amazement.<\/p>\n \u201cBetty?\u201d was all he said though.\u00a0 They had more important things to do after all.<\/p>\n \u201cReady,\u201d she answered, either not catching his slight pause or letting it go for later.\u00a0 She was probably just letting it go for later.<\/p>\n Jack felt gravity weaken around him and jumped up towards their fighter.\u00a0 The subtle tug of the fighter\u2019s gravity generators pulled him towards it and he flexed his legs, coming to a rest with a soft click of his boots next to the cockpit.\u00a0 With a quick step forward he dropped into his seat, sat down, and began fastening his restraints.\u00a0 The displays began to flash to life around him, showing the fighter\u2019s systems coming online.<\/p>\n \u201cCowboy One to all Cowboys,\u201d Charles voice came over the comm. system.\u00a0 \u201cReport your status.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack checked the displays once again, making certain that all systems showed green, and a pleased smile covered his face as the canopy came down, sealing him in.<\/p>\n \u201cCowboy Fourteen, ready to launch,\u201d Katy reported, her voice showing only the calm readiness of a combat veteran with decades of experience.<\/p>\n \u201cBuckaroo Flight is ready for action,\u201d Ken\u2019s words came through his system.\u00a0 They carried a different tone than Katy\u2019s, less military precision and more of the California surfer attitude that Ken had learned on the beaches.\u00a0 That attitude was probably one of the reasons he and Ken got alone so well.<\/p>\n \u201cDutchman Flight, locked and loaded,\u201d Jessie announced in a no-nonsense tone that reflected his Kansas farming background.\u00a0 Considering his history with farmers, especially in pertaining to farmers\u2019 daughters<\/em>, Jack had been mildly surprised to find that Jessie had a truly dry sense of humor and could pull off jokes with the best of them.\u00a0 Not that anyone could tell that when he was preparing for battle.<\/p>\n Jack smiled and nodded towards the console where Betty sat in small mode.\u00a0 He had a good set of people working with him.\u00a0 He would take them into battle anytime.\u00a0 She smiled, seeming to know exactly what he was thinking, and her holoform flickered.\u00a0 His smile broadened as her yellow sundress came back into focus and she crossed her legs.\u00a0 He shook his head.\u00a0 Yes, he truly had good people here.<\/p>\n \u201cJester Division is ready to kick ass,\u201d he said, trusting her to transmit his words on.<\/p>\n She smiled back at him and nodded, accepting what his smile said over the words meant for Charles.\u00a0 Then his eyes pulled away from her as the Guardian Light\u2019s<\/em> hull began to split open, showing him the multi-colored swirling spectrum of hyperspace\u2019s twisted gravity waves.\u00a0 His breath caught once again at the beauty of it all.\u00a0 It was one of the most amazing sights he\u2019d ever seen in his life.\u00a0 The sight was almost enough to make one believe in God.\u00a0 He let out a long breath as the reminder that it was his job to go out in a fighter and fly through it, with nothing but a see-through canopy between him and it set in.\u00a0 This was a truly amazing life he led now.<\/p>\n \u201cAll Cowboys, commence launch pattern now,\u201d Charles ordered and the first of the Avengers shot out of the kilometer-long battleship, reaching out for hyperspace.\u00a0 Avengers and Hellcats blasted out after their commander one after another, far enough from each other to remain safe.<\/p>\n Finally a green light came on, telling him it was his time to launch.\u00a0 He and Betty shared another smile, he slammed the throttle forward, and their Avenger clawed her way into hyperspace, leaving the Guardian Light<\/em> behind.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hello, my name is Jack.\u00a0 We sometimes get too caught up in trying to keep from dying that we forget to be alive.\u00a0 I promised myself a long time ago to see and recognize everything that makes life worth living.\u00a0[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1208","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-2304-forge-of-war-1stdraft","uentry","postonpage-1","odd","post-author-jack"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1208","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1208"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1208\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1861,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1208\/revisions\/1861"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1208"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1208"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1208"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}