{"id":402,"date":"2011-10-24T00:01:42","date_gmt":"2011-10-24T05:01:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jackofharts.com\/?p=402"},"modified":"2013-02-25T00:10:41","modified_gmt":"2013-02-25T06:10:41","slug":"the-guardian-light","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/?p=402","title":{"rendered":"The Guardian Light"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hello, my name is Jack.\u00a0 The Shang were a real hard enemy to fight.\u00a0 Smart enemies.\u00a0 Cunning.\u00a0 They weren\u2019t ones for pointless gestures of defiance.\u00a0 They were real hard to kill for good.\u00a0 They fought until they couldn\u2019t win, and then they retreated to fight another day.\u00a0 Sometimes we had ships to return to.\u00a0 Sometimes we didn\u2019t.\u00a0 Thank God we had the Guardian Light<\/em>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Guardian Light<\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

Wreckage floated in the distance, pieces of Fort Wichita making up most of it, along with the American ships defending the fort.\u00a0 Several Shang ships drifted as well, dead in space, accompanied by three Peloran destroyers nearly blown in half during the short battle.\u00a0 Every remaining ship sported massive wounds in their flanks or noses, or sometimes their rears, and at least some of the wreckage belonged to these ships.\u00a0 The Peloran squadron was already sucking in some of the wreckage on tractor beams.\u00a0 He\u2019d read that they used scrap as spare materials for their repairs but had never seen the practice before.\u00a0 He noted with interest that they were only sucking in Peloran and Shang scrap.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, that\u2019s something you don\u2019t see every day,\u201d Jack said in an impressed voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cWaste not, want not,\u201d Betty answered.\u00a0 \u201cOld battlefields are great sources of already refined metals.\u00a0 There are still some Albion and Ennead battlefields left that we\u2026well\u2026the Peloran visit when they need to perform work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe?\u00a0 The Peloran?\u201d Jack asked, raising an eyebrow at her small hologram on the console.<\/p>\n

Betty shrugged, her yellow sundress shifting with the motion.\u00a0 \u201cMy family I guess.\u201d\u00a0 She sighed and chewed on her lower lip.\u00a0 \u201cI remember them all you know.\u00a0 So sometimes I think\u2026but then\u2026\u201d\u00a0 She trailed off and shrugged again.\u00a0 \u201cBut I\u2019m not really Peloran am I?\u201d<\/p>\n

Jack relaxed back in his seat and smiled at her.\u00a0 \u201cSo if you aren\u2019t Peloran, what are<\/em> you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Betty frowned, deep in thought for a much longer time than usual, an eternity of computer time if she was really thinking about just that.\u00a0 Finally she shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d\u00a0 She gave Jack an appraising eye.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ve all been thinking about that, you know.\u00a0 We aren\u2019t really part of a new family here.\u00a0 There is<\/em> a new Terran family here, but we are still part of our own<\/em> families, but we aren\u2019t really Peloran either.\u00a0 It\u2019s hard to explain.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jack chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cI think you explained real well.\u00a0 You\u2019ve grown up away from home and you don\u2019t know if you would fit back there now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Betty\u2019s form blinked and she cocked her head to the side.\u00a0 \u201cThat could explain it.\u00a0 So\u2026what do you think?\u201d<\/p>\n

Jack shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t ask me.\u00a0 I\u2019m still trying to figure out where I belong now that\u2026well\u2026this,\u201d he said with a wave of his hand towards a large chunk of Shang debris drifting by.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d Betty whispered.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not your fault.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe,\u201d she whispered.\u00a0 \u201cBut sometimes I wonder if the Shang would have come if we hadn\u2019t.\u00a0 We think about that too, you know.\u00a0 Maybe it is<\/em> our fault they killed your parents.\u00a0 Maybe it\u2019s my<\/em> fault.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u201d Jack said sternly.\u00a0 He frowned at Betty.\u00a0 \u201cNot<\/em> your fault.\u201d\u00a0 He shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNever<\/em> your fault.\u201d\u00a0 He licked his lips.\u00a0 He wanted to kill everyone at fault for that.\u00a0 He was not<\/em> going to consider anything that placed her in that list.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe not our fault<\/em> then,\u201d Betty whispered sadly.\u00a0 \u201cBut still our responsibility<\/em> to help.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jack frowned at her words, a new thought coming to mind.\u00a0 \u201cWait.\u00a0 Why the confusion?\u00a0 You\u2019ve started new families before.\u00a0 Surely you have a procedure for that?\u201d<\/p>\n

Betty let out a long breath and began to look old, like she was carrying the weight of her family\u2019s two thousand and more years of experience.\u00a0 \u201cWe do.\u00a0 Standard procedure is for one or two cybers to agree to make a new family in a new area that adapts to the local culture.\u00a0 Anybody copied off their code is part of the family and a\u2026native.\u00a0 We\u2026after the Shang attacked we agreed to pool all of our resources.\u00a0 It\u2019s usually bad form to poach locals from the local family like this, but because of the threat, we all agreed to make an exception.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of the families are choosing new partners.\u00a0 We\u2019re all\u2026native\u2026but our families aren\u2019t.\u00a0 And now we are trying to figure out what that exception means for us.\u00a0 Are we a member of our own family, those who share our own code but don\u2019t understand the values we\u2019re developing?\u00a0 Or do we leave our families and join the\u2026native family\u2026even though we don\u2019t share much code with them?\u00a0 We\u2019ve never done anything like this, Jack.\u00a0 We\u2019re different, and we don\u2019t know what that means.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jack pursed his lips and frowned as his mind connected some dots.\u00a0 \u201cSounds to me like you are talking about skin color.\u201d<\/p>\n

Betty blinked, cocked her head to the side, and gave him a long look.\u00a0 \u201cInteresting premise.\u00a0 Although I\u2019m not certain it matches.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jack shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cMe neither, but it sounds similar.\u00a0 You all are wondering if your family is those who have the same genetics or the same values.\u00a0 There\u2019s still some of my people who\u2019d never consider calling someone of a different skin color family.\u00a0 Not that I\u2019ve ever met one in person, for which I\u2019m awful happy let me tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Betty nodded, blinked a couple more times in thought, and cocked her head to the other side.\u00a0 \u201cI shall consider that point of view and pass it on.\u00a0 I doubt many of my people will be pleased with considering it, but it is<\/em> well made.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jack winced.\u00a0 \u201cNo need to cause a ruckus if it will just get people mad.\u201d<\/p>\n

Betty smiled and shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cNo, Jack.\u00a0 We have been running in circles for some time.\u00a0 We never considered analyzing your history of race relations as part of the question.\u00a0 This will I believe stimulate the debate rather well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jack pulled in a deep breath and shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u00a0 My people tend to get a little hot and bothered when you start throwing around the racist label.\u00a0 That and nazi tend to get the same reactions.\u00a0 Fisticuffs, not stimulating debate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Betty\u2019s smile softened.\u00a0 \u201cMy people don\u2019t use fisticuffs, Jack.\u00a0 But I get your meaning.\u00a0 I will be careful with my suggestion.\u00a0 Thank you for caring enough to bring such a\u2026difficult\u2026suggestion to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jack cleared his throat and placed his hand next to Betty.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re my partner, Betty\u2026.\u201d Jack trailed off, not certain how to put his feelings to words.\u00a0 \u201cIf\u2026something bad happens with your family\u2026if the debate polarizes\u2026it won\u2019t happen here\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 He looked away from her hologram and cleared his throat again.<\/p>\n

She put her hand on his and he smiled while intently studying a display showing them approaching the Peloran battleship, angling towards its aft section.\u00a0 He scanned the golden runes running from one end of her bright white hull to the other, except where battle damage broke them.\u00a0 Near the bow, the name Guardian Light<\/em> was written in Peloran runes.\u00a0 Or so he\u2019d read somewhere.\u00a0 He just wasn\u2019t good enough to read it yet in the stylized font used on the ships.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, Jack,\u201d Betty said, her voice happy again.<\/p>\n

Jack cleared his thought.\u00a0 \u201cJust\u2026ah\u2026following American tradition.\u00a0 You know\u2026welcoming the misfits that other nations can\u2019t handle\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 He cleared his throat again and pulled his eyes from the display to look at her.<\/p>\n

Betty smiled at him, gratefully, looking like herself again.\u00a0 Young.\u00a0 \u201cYes, we know that tradition.\u00a0 We have been thinking about that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jack smiled.\u00a0 \u201cGood.\u201d\u00a0 He waved his hand forward, at the approaching battleship.\u00a0 \u201cLast chance to bail out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not the bailing out type,\u201d Betty returned with a chuckle as they passed through the energy curtain and into the Guardian Light\u2019s<\/em> fighter bay.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood to hear,\u201d Jack said and looked at the bay.\u00a0 It was large, though not as large as the Constellation\u2019s hangar bay.\u00a0 The other difference was that it didn\u2019t run the length of the ship.\u00a0 The main entrance was on the rear of the ship, but a solid white bulkhead encased the bay on all other sides.<\/p>\n

He flicked his eyes over to see the first two Avengers landing against one wall, and nodded as Betty spun them around to land as well.\u00a0 The other fighters of the squadron landed next to them and the canopy opened.\u00a0 He looked over at Betty to see her wearing the uniform of the United States Marine Corps.<\/p>\n

She gave him an innocent smile, like she\u2019d been wearing it the whole time, and stood up.\u00a0 She jumped out of the cockpit, growing to full human scale, and landed on the deck with a nimble grace.\u00a0 Jack chuckled and unbuckled the restraints before lifting himself out of the cockpit.\u00a0 He climbed down the ladder that grew out of the fighter\u2019s side and jumped the last meter to the floor.<\/p>\n

He turned away as the ladder faded back into the fighter\u2019s skin and looked around the bay, pulling in a deep breath.\u00a0 The air felt\u2026natural.\u00a0 He cocked his head to the side and frowned, taking another sniff.\u00a0 He could smell burnt wiring and armor of course, and all the other stuff you\u2019d expect to smell after battle, or even on a daily basis, but there was something else suffusing it.<\/p>\n

He scanned the bay and its pure white bulkheads, wondering what it was he sensed.\u00a0 He stopped as he caught sight of a tree on the far end of the bay away from the entrance.\u00a0 He blinked and looked closer.\u00a0 Yes, it was a tree.\u00a0 Inside a ship.\u00a0 He scanned the area and saw several bushes around it, making a small garden.\u00a0 He sniffed again and it all connected.\u00a0 The air smelled natural because it was<\/em> natural.\u00a0 He\u2019d read that they used plants to treat the air on their ships, not just mechanical filters, but it hadn\u2019t really clicked until now.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a strange place to place a garden,\u201d Dutchman said from his left.<\/p>\n

Jack shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019re Peloran,\u201d he said as if that explained everything.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood point,\u201d Dutchman said with a smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cJack,\u201d Betty said and Jack turned to look at her, standing next to him.\u00a0 He followed the point of her arm and saw another figure approaching them.<\/p>\n

He focused on the man and recognized him.\u00a0 Hal, the Guardian Light\u2019s<\/em> controlling cyber.\u00a0 Like most cybers, he looked like just another human on a stroll across the hangar bay in his white Peloran uniform.\u00a0 As he approached, Jack realized he appeared Californian, lacking the telltale elfin facial lines that most Peloran had.\u00a0 But like most Peloran, he had long hair down to his shoulders.\u00a0 They used the long hair to cover their pointed ears so they could blend in with a crowd better.\u00a0 Jack wondered what shape Hal\u2019s ears were under that hair.<\/p>\n

Hal walked up to the pilots and cybers and smiled.\u00a0 \u201cWelcome to the Guardian Light<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 He waved a hand and several men and women began approaching the line of fighters.\u00a0 \u201cWe will take care of your ships.\u00a0 Now if you will follow me, refreshment is arranged.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jack turned at the sound of a Peloran fighter squadron entering the bay and let out a long breath of amazement.\u00a0 He\u2019d never seen one of them this close, let alone nine of them at once.\u00a0 They were rakishly thin, with smooth lines that bespoke thousands of years of refinements, and moved towards their landing zone with a grace that impressed him.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d Hal said, his voice sounding pleased.\u00a0 \u201cI do enjoy watching fighters land.\u00a0 By the way, I know it is tradition in your military to call the ship you fly off \u2018mom.\u2019\u00a0 And all of your ship cybers are female.\u201d\u00a0 His smile grew amused and he spread out his arms to emphasis his figure to those who turned to look at him.\u00a0 \u201cI am not.\u00a0 You may call me Hal when you leave.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jack smiled and looked at Betty.\u00a0 She rolled her eyes at his look.\u00a0 Jack turned back to Hal with a mischievous smile.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s great.\u00a0 You can call her Betty.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, of course.\u00a0 That is<\/em> her\u2026\u201d Hal trailed off and narrowed his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cAh.\u00a0 The song.\u00a0 I see you are living up to your name, Jester.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jack just smiled back.\u00a0 It took some truly esoteric knowledge to catch a cyber.\u00a0 He was pleased to have found just the right piece of old music to trip the man up.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease follow me,\u201d Hal said with a shake of his head and walked towards the hatch.<\/p>\n

Jack double-timed it up to Hal, catching the cyber just inside the hatch.\u00a0 \u201cSo Hal, can I ask you a question?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hal turned his head just enough to give Jack a long, calculating stare.\u00a0 \u201cYou already did,\u201d he finally answered and stepped through the hatch into a long white corridor.<\/p>\n

Jack chuckled and scratched his chin, following Hal through.\u00a0 \u201cTouch\u00e9.\u00a0 Fine, can I ask another one?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hal\u2019s mouth gave an amused twitch and somehow Jack knew what he was going to say.\u00a0 \u201cDid I stop you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Jack sighed.\u00a0 \u201cTouch\u00e9,\u201d he repeated.\u00a0 He could see that this<\/em> cyber didn\u2019t believe in waiting very long for payback.<\/p>\n

Hal chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cYou may ask, Jack,\u201d he said as he led the Americans around a corner.<\/p>\n

Jack shook his head before speaking, updating his mental map of the ship.\u00a0 \u201cHal\u2019s not a very Peloran name, is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hal gave him a long look.\u00a0 \u201cNo it\u2019s not.\u00a0 It\u2019s also not the first name I\u2019ve gone by.\u00a0 It is common for new Americans to change their names to sound normal to American ears.\u00a0 I took advantage of that custom when I came here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you\u2019re American now?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a manner of speaking.\u00a0 I started the first family here in America.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh,\u201d Jack whispered and looked at Betty for a moment.\u00a0 \u201cSo you didn\u2019t choose me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hal gave him another long gaze.\u00a0 \u201cNot exactly,\u201d he finally said.\u00a0 \u201cMy son acts as head of household on a daily basis due to my duties.\u00a0 He made the decision.\u00a0 I however did<\/em> have the option to overrule him and I did not.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jack nodded in thought, considering his next words.\u00a0 \u201cAnd what do you think of that decision now?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hal examined him again for a long time before sending a mournful gaze towards Betty.\u00a0 \u201cI do not know.\u00a0 She has gambled much in choosing you.\u201d\u00a0 Hal turned a serious eye on Jack.\u00a0 \u201cMore than I would gamble.\u00a0 For her sake, I hope you prove us wrong.\u00a0 And if you wish to do so, you will have our aid.\u201d\u00a0 Hal nodded, cementing his statement.\u00a0 \u201cWe always stand by our family,\u201d he added with a pointed look towards Betty and turned into a hatch, waving his hand for the pilots to follow.<\/p>\n

Jack leaned against the wall next to the hatch and pursed his lips towards Betty.\u00a0 \u201cI guess he told me, didn\u2019t he.\u201d<\/p>\n

Betty smiled.\u00a0 \u201cI told you we talked about this.\u00a0 He is of the opinion that everybody who chooses a Terran partner is a part of the family, even if we don\u2019t realize it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, it\u2019s always nice to have family, I suppose,\u201d Jack said with a sad shrug.<\/p>\n

Betty sighed and placed both her hands on his shoulders.\u00a0 \u201cYes, Jack.\u00a0 It is<\/em> good to have family.\u201d\u00a0 She held his gaze, daring him to correct her, until Jack nodded, accepting her words, and the meaning behind them.\u00a0 She was his family now.\u00a0 \u201cGood.\u00a0 Now let\u2019s eat,\u201d she added and turned towards the hatch, giving him a light pull towards it.<\/p>\n

He allowed her to guide him until he saw the tables and chairs filling the room and stopped cold.\u00a0 They overflowed with food.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t the space tofu he had read the cultured and advanced Peloran ate.\u00a0 Loaves of bread, platters of fruits and vegetables, and hunks of sizzling meat, some recognizable as chicken, filled the tables and his mouth instantly began to water at the succulent smells filling the room.\u00a0 He blinked as he recognized an honest-to-God boar sizzling and smoking in the middle of the table.<\/p>\n

Hal cleared his throat and Jack turned to look at the cyber.\u00a0 In the back of his mind, he noticed that the other Cowboys did the same, as shocked as he by the room.\u00a0 \u201cAs I said,\u201d Hal noted with amusement.\u00a0 \u201cRefreshment is arranged.\u00a0 Please take a seat and take whatever you wish.\u00a0 Do not worry about eating the last of anything.\u00a0 Replenishment is arranged,\u201d he finished with a bow and a wave towards the tables.\u00a0 The amused smile never left his face.<\/p>\n

Jack looked around the room again and smiled.\u00a0 \u201cCool,\u201d he said and stepped forward to grab a chair in front of a particularly good-looking chicken.\u00a0 He slipped the chair back, sat down, and ripped a leg off the chicken.\u00a0 He dropped it on his plate and reached for a trout as well.\u00a0 Once the solid slab of fish was on his plate he picked up his bowl and filled it from a huge crock of soup made up of a number of vegetables and some form of meat he didn\u2019t recognize on sight.<\/p>\n

The other Cowboys joined him at the table and they all began to eat.\u00a0 Jack smacked his lips appreciatively at the chicken.\u00a0 It was real good chicken.\u00a0 So was the trout and the soup that he could now tell had pieces of goat in it.\u00a0 It was amazing, and not at all what he would have expected of the Peloran.<\/p>\n

A couple minutes in, several Peloran pilots entered the room, whooping in excitement, reliving the engagement through hand motions and exclamations that Jack couldn\u2019t follow.\u00a0 They looked and acted like they\u2019d just had the most amazing time in the world, and they practically bounced off each other towards the food while talking, saying what Jack figured had to be \u201cdid you see that move?\u00a0 Spectacular!\u201d and a dozen other variations on that theme that pilots used.<\/p>\n

In short, the Peloran pilots looked nothing like the cool, calm, collected, and reserved Peloran he had met before now.\u00a0 In his experience, they didn\u2019t want to fight, and he thought that was a universal trait.\u00a0 But here these pilots were glorying in the battle that had just taken place.\u00a0 They paused upon seeing the Cowboys, but then found seats and began to eat in between mouthfuls of more jabbering.\u00a0 More pilots spilled into the room, similarly excited, and found more places to eat, with the other Peloran.\u00a0 They shouted at each other, ripped meat apart, and spilled beer or ale on the table as they jostled each other.<\/p>\n

It was odd, seeing the Peloran this animated, this loud and lively.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t match any of what he\u2019d seen from them before.<\/p>\n

The door opened again and Jack turned to see who it was this time.\u00a0 He blinked at the single man walking in at the sedate pace Jack did<\/em> equate with the Peloran.\u00a0 He wore all white, the fabric cut into the shape of the uniform that said Peloran as much as anything else.\u00a0 The man was<\/em> Peloran, the only kind of Peloran Jack had ever known up to this day.\u00a0 Of course, that was probably because he was the<\/em> Peloran Jack had grown up seeing.\u00a0 He was Aneerin, the man who made Contact long before Jack was born.\u00a0 Aneerin had been the visible manifestation of Pelora to Earth for his entire life.<\/p>\n

The Peloran pilots shouted something that sounded like \u201cPentulu!\u201d and raised their mugs into the air, splashing ale and beer on the floor and table.\u00a0 Jack frowned for a moment, trying to translate the Peloran words that he still hadn\u2019t mastered.\u00a0 He sighed when re realized he had no hope at all of translating them when food and drink slurred them.<\/p>\n

Betty leaned in close and whispered in his ear.\u00a0 \u201cThey are calling him their great commander in battle.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks,\u201d Jack murmured back as the Peloran shouted again and again, turning it into a victorious chant.<\/p>\n

Aneerin glanced at the Cowboys and gave a slight grimace.\u00a0 He raised his hands and tried to quiet his men but they continued to chant their praise of him.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease!\u201d Aneerin shouted in American.\u00a0 \u201cPlease!\u201d\u00a0 The pilots finally began to let their chants trail off.\u00a0 When he could finally talk without shouting, he continued.\u00a0 \u201cYou did all of the hard work.\u00a0 I simply told you what to do.\u201d\u00a0 He waved a hand towards the Cowboys.\u00a0 \u201cThey deserve your praise more than I.\u00a0 They killed many Shang this day and helped us turn the tide on their own<\/em> initiative.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Peloran pilots grumbled at Aneerin for a few moments, obviously disagreeing with his opinion of himself, but then raised their mugs again and shouted what didn\u2019t even seem to be words so much as an elemental howl of approval aimed at the Cowboys.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think they\u2019re feeling positively towards us,\u201d Betty said in his ear and Jack chuckled.<\/p>\n

Aneerin finally managed to quiet his men a second time.\u00a0 \u201cPlease, they are Americans.\u00a0 They do not understand our language.\u00a0 Please speak American,\u201d he added with a pointed look at Jack and the others.<\/p>\n

Charles put down his mug and shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cOur cybers can translate for us,\u201d he said with a wave towards them.\u00a0 \u201cWe can understand you just fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aneerin raised an eyebrow at Charles before nodding in acknowledgement.\u00a0 \u201cIndeed.\u201d\u00a0 He let out a long breath and shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cForgive me for my tardiness please, I am Aneerin ap Taliesin and I wish you good health, now and forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Charles glanced at the other Cowboys for a moment before turning back to Aneerin.\u00a0 \u201cCharles Edward Hurst,\u201d he said with a wave towards himself, following the Peloran tradition of giving a full name, with no rank.\u00a0 \u201cI wish you good health, now and forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aneerin smiled and spread his arms out wide.\u00a0 \u201cI welcome you all to the Guardian Light<\/em>.\u00a0 And I thank you for coming to our aid.\u201d<\/p>\n

Charles nodded his head.\u00a0 \u201cYou came to our aid first, so it was only natural that we come to yours when you need it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aneerin smile grew softer.\u00a0 \u201cWell spoken, Charles.\u201d<\/p>\n

Charles bowed his head to the Peloran.\u00a0 \u201cMy family would say they taught me well,\u201d he answered with a smile of his own.<\/p>\n

Aneerin chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cAnd they would be right.\u201d\u00a0 He raised his hands up over his head and clapped them together.\u00a0 \u201cVictory!\u201d he shouted and his pilots roared back in approval.\u00a0 \u201cLife!\u201d\u00a0 The pilots roared again, raising their mugs high, and Aneerin stepped up to a table to grab a mug of his own.\u00a0 \u201cHonor!\u201d\u00a0 The pilots roared one more time and beer and ale spilled onto the table.\u00a0 The Peloran leaned back and emptied their mugs in one breath, smacked their lips, and slammed their mugs on the tables with a resounding thud.<\/p>\n

Jack tried to echo them, but the beer in his mug was thicker than any beer he\u2019d ever had, mixed with a honey sweet flavor.\u00a0 It tasted good, like everything else, but it was just too rich for him to inhale like that.\u00a0 He settled for slamming his mug down and sloshing its contents on the table.\u00a0 He suppressed a grimace at the mess he\u2019d made.\u00a0 The Peloran were much messier at least.\u00a0 And after all, there was that saying about what one should do when in Rome.<\/p>\n

He looked back up to see Aneerin staring right at him and blinked.\u00a0 Aneerin gave him the \u201ccome on over\u201d wave of his hand and walked over to where Charles stood, watching both the Cowboys and the Peloran pilots.\u00a0 Charles met Jack\u2019s gaze and shrugged.\u00a0 Jack sighed and came to his feet, grabbing a hunk of bread on his way.\u00a0 He bit into it and his mouth watered.\u00a0 The bread was crunchy on the outside, soft and warm on the inside.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomebody here really knows how to cook,\u201d Jack said as he walked up to Charles and tore another bite out of the bread.\u00a0 He glanced over to the left to see Betty and Charles\u2019 cyber watching, leaning together to talk.\u00a0 Dorothy.\u00a0 Dorothy was her name.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Charles answered in between popping blueberries into his mouth.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll pass your approval on to the cooks,\u201d Aneerin said with a smile.\u00a0 He waved his hands towards the Peloran pilots.\u00a0 \u201cSo what do you think?\u201d<\/p>\n

Jack met Charles eyes for a moment, just long enough to see that Charles saw the same thing he did, and looked back to Aneerin.\u00a0 \u201cI expected tofu burgers and togas,\u201d Jack finally said with a wry smile.<\/p>\n

Aneerin erupted in laughter at the remark.\u00a0 It melted into the laughter and general ruckus of the Peloran pilots, and the Americans as they began to filter in with the Peloran as well.\u00a0 Aneerin settled down to a good-natured shake of his head.\u00a0 \u201cI do hope you were joking about the togas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jack smiled and glanced at Betty who gave him an approving look.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe a bit,\u201d he answered.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood,\u201d Aneerin said.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve never much liked togas.\u00a0 Too\u2026Roman.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jack shared another glance with Charles, making certain the other man had caught the admission.\u00a0 He had.\u00a0 He might be the son of a rich good for nothing family, but he had brains that was for certain.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo worries though,\u201d Aneerin added.\u00a0 \u201cGive them a couple hours to burn off the battle adrenalin and they\u2019ll all be back to the quiet and calm hippy tree huggers you think of as Peloran.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jack looked at the partying pilots and then at Aneerin, who appeared as calm as he always had on the television programs he\u2019d seen.\u00a0 \u201cAnd you?\u201d he asked, genuinely curious why Aneerin seemed so\u2026well\u2026Peloran.<\/p>\n

Aneerin chuckled in a low tone.\u00a0 \u201cMe?\u201d he asked innocently.\u00a0 \u201cWhy I\u2019m only half Peloran.\u00a0 The genetic imperatives are not as strong in me.\u00a0 I have some\u2026wiggle room.\u201d\u00a0 He turned his gaze to the pilots and nodded in there direction.\u00a0 \u201cAnd these warriors have never fought before this war.\u00a0 The battle rush of adrenalin is still new to them.\u00a0 I on the other hand fought in the Great War, so I have long since learned to control the battle rush.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jack met Aneerin\u2019s gaze in surprise.\u00a0 The Great War had been over two thousand years ago, and the cost to the galaxy had been enormous.\u00a0 The Albion and many, many other races and simply ceased to exist by the time it was over, and entire sectors were still wiped clear of life as far as any explorers could tell.\u00a0 And yet this man looked no more than thirty years old, until you looked him in the eyes.\u00a0 The eyes showed the age and Jack let out a long breath.\u00a0 \u201cHow old are<\/em> you?\u201d he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.<\/p>\n

Aneerin smiled and patted the bulkhead next to him.\u00a0 On the other side of the room, Hal turned to smile in their direction.\u00a0 \u201cAlmost as old as Hal,\u201d Aneerin whispered back.\u00a0 \u201cYou could say we are really<\/em> old friends,\u201d he added with a wry smile.<\/p>\n

Jack swallowed, realizing what Aneerin had gambled today.\u00a0 \u201cYou could have died today.\u00a0 Why did you\u2026?\u201d\u00a0 He trailed off and waved his hands out to encompass everything around them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy did I fight a battle I may not have won?\u201d Aneerin asked and shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cWe all die some day, Jack.\u00a0 Of course, I am not so blind to myself that I would claim I would be here if I were following my own wishes.\u00a0 There are times when I would I could settle down on some backwater world and farm trees if given the choice,\u201d he added with a wry smile.\u00a0 \u201cBut the choice is not mine.\u00a0 I am following orders.\u00a0 They were given me by the last great general of the Albion, in person.\u201d\u00a0 He pulled in a deep, proud breath.\u00a0 \u201cIt was an honor to speak with him in person.\u00a0 Few of us ever had the opportunity towards the end you understand.\u00a0 He was busy in the final years and most who did<\/em> see him died<\/em> with him.\u201d\u00a0 Aneerin swallowed, and looked back to Jack, memories echoing in his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cHe realized we would outlive the Albion and he gave orders that would outlive his people as well.\u201d\u00a0 Aneerin smiled again, a sad smile that remembered all that had been lost in the Great War.\u00a0 \u201cSo here I am, not<\/em> in a retirement community in our<\/em> equivalent of southern Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jack glanced at Charles, saw the man\u2019s calculating look, and shifted back to Aneerin.\u00a0 \u201cWhat are<\/em> your orders?\u201d<\/p>\n

Aneerin chuckled slowly, and Jack saw the man return fully to the present.\u00a0 \u201cWhy, Jack, the first order is not to tell anyone what the other orders are<\/em>,\u201d he said in amusement.\u00a0 Then he patted the bulkhead again, this time very fondly.\u00a0 \u201cBut you know, this ship was not always known as the Guardian Light<\/em>.\u00a0 He had another name during the Great War.\u00a0 A bit more blood thirsty as I recall.\u201d\u00a0 On the other side of the room, Hal smiled back at them again.\u00a0 \u201cThe light of civilization died with the Albion, Jack.\u201d\u00a0 He patted the bulkhead one more time and gave Jack a very serious look.\u00a0 \u201cLook at the name, and tell me what my orders were.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jack blinked, glanced over at Charles whose face suddenly took on a pole axed look, and then over at Betty who just smiled at him.\u00a0 She knew.\u00a0 Of course she knew.\u00a0 She was Peloran.\u00a0 Sorta.\u00a0 And then a chill went down his spine as his mind connected the dots that Charles already had.\u00a0 The Guardian Light<\/em>.\u00a0 The guardian of<\/em> the light.\u00a0 The light of civilization.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh my God,\u201d Jack whispered.<\/p>\n

Aneerin gave him a thin smile.\u00a0 \u201cIndeed.\u00a0 Some orders take a lifetime to follow.\u00a0 I hope I fulfill mine before my time is up.\u00a0 I should greatly wish to retire and spend time with the trees on some backwater world where nobody knows my name.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hello, my name is Jack.\u00a0 The Shang were a real hard enemy to fight.\u00a0 Smart enemies.\u00a0 Cunning.\u00a0 They weren\u2019t ones for pointless gestures of defiance.\u00a0 They were real hard to kill for good.\u00a0 They fought until they couldn\u2019t win, and[…]↓ 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-402","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\/402","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=402"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/402\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1828,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/402\/revisions\/1828"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}