Everyone one of us has a world we love more than any other. That has always been the beach for me. Add a guitar, a bonfire, and some pretty girls and that\u2019s my definition of heaven. Always has been. I\u2019ll play around in just about any world, but I don\u2019t fit in all of them. Never have. Never will. I\u2019ve always considered that a good thing. I grew up on the edge of civilization where rugged individualism was prized. We celebrated our differences there and invited people from every world to spend money in ours. But different worlds can sometimes collide in unexpected ways.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Jack looked out on the well-dressed college students filling the Pav with their expectant looks. They weren\u2019t friends, he doubted they ever would<\/em> be, but they were friendly. That had surprised him. He\u2019d expected them to dislike him after what he did to their fellow student. He\u2019d underestimated the decency of the student body in general though, as they\u2019d left their fellow student a pariah for his attempted drugging and welcomed Jack to their parties ever since.<\/p>\n He really hadn\u2019t expected to play in public again, and yet here he sat on a chair on stage, at their request. It wasn\u2019t a secret that the fleet was leaving soon, and Samantha had bragged about his singing far more than he really liked. But that left him no real choice. He strummed the acoustic guitar and the sound echoed off the bar\u2019s far walls. The sound of fingers on strings monopolized their attention, and the whispered murmurs faded away into near silence as he began to play a familiar tune. On New Earth it was a popular drinking song. It had different words back home in Minnesota.<\/p>\n The words he knew tumbled out, the song one of joy and celebration and fun. He sang of a beach on a lake, moonlight glinting off the waves. He sang of a bonfire, friends singing and dancing and drinking around it. He sang about dancing with girls, and fighting with jealous boyfriends. He sang about karaoke girls, and drinking way too much. He sang about fistfights and howling at the moon.<\/p>\n He strummed the guitar through it all, holding onto the tune like an old friend and using its familiar sound to pull him through the song. The song had been popular for many years back home, sung in celebration of life. Jack sung it as a memorial to lost friends, closing his eyes part way through the song, and the melancholy in his voice took it over. His mourning filled the room through to the final strum of the guitar.<\/p>\n Silence ruled the room and Jack opened his eyes to see young men and women staring at him. New Earth had seen nothing like Yosemite, but in that moment he saw they understood the loss. A silence filled the Pav, and he\u2019d seen enough of them to know that this was one of the good ones. It stretched on, the audience reliving the emotions of the song, and Jack came to his feet in the thunderous silence. He hung the guitar in the place reserved for it and stepped away, each fall of his boots echoing across the room.<\/p>\n Jack stepped off the stage with a tip of his cowboy hat and ambled into the well-dressed crowd as they began to murmur. He chose not to focus on their words, granting them the privacy their hushed voices craved, and cut through the crowd to sit down at the table he shared with Samantha.<\/p>\n Samantha smiled and patted the arm he laid on the table in a proud manner. \u201cI said<\/em> you could do it,\u201d she whispered low enough that it barely carried to his ears over the growing murmurs.<\/p>\n Jack shrugged. \u201cNever said I couldn\u2019t. Just that I don\u2019t like singing for strangers.\u201d<\/p>\n Samantha held his hand. \u201cAnd who are all of these<\/em> people?\u201d<\/p>\n Jack sighed. \u201cNot strangers anymore, I suppose. Your<\/em> friends. So I suppose they\u2019re somewhere in between for me.\u201d<\/p>\n Samantha cocked her head to the side and chewed her lip. \u201cIs it really that simple?\u201d<\/p>\n Jack nodded. \u201cNothing simple about it really. But New Churchill College is the world you live in. If I can\u2019t be comfortable in it, I don\u2019t have any place in it,\u201d he finished with a reassuring smile.<\/p>\n Samantha stretched a hand out and grasped his with an approving smile. \u201cYou always say the right thing,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n Jack patted her hand with his free one. \u201cI try.\u201d<\/p>\n Samantha pulled in a long breath, gave him an examining look, and one side of her mouth curled upward. \u201cWould you like to continue trying on the way home?\u201d<\/p>\n Jack\u2019s eyes widened in interest. \u201cWhy, Ma\u2019am, I thought you\u2019d never ask,\u201d he said as he rose to his feet with all the grace he could muster in New Earth\u2019s heavy gravity, and offered to help her to her feet.<\/p>\n She accepted his help. He was certain she didn\u2019t need it, but it gave him an excuse to rest his hand on the waist of her simple black dress. A shock ran through both of them as his hand touched her and her smile turned flirtatious. \u201cWell, lead on, Sir,\u201d she returned and leaned into him.<\/p>\n They made their way towards the door, the crowd filling the Pav making way for them without protest. They stepped into the night and Jack looked up to see that even the second sun was beginning to fall towards the horizon. They\u2019d been in the Pav for many hours this evening. Considering how long it took Samantha to talk him into finally performing, he supposed that wasn\u2019t a big surprise.<\/p>\n Jack bestowed his best charming smile on her. \u201cWould my Lady prefer a ride in a car or a walk through the city?\u201d<\/p>\n She raised her eyebrows and looked up through her red bangs at him. \u201cWell, I\u2019m thinking it would take longer to walk home, right?\u201d she asked with a pat on his arm.<\/p>\n Jack\u2019s every hair stood on end with anticipation and he realized that getting her home was foremost on his mind. He bent down to whisper in her ear. \u201cExcruciatingly longer.\u201d He felt a shiver run through her body and gave her a beaming smile.<\/p>\n She patted his arm again, sending his heart jumping into his throat. \u201cI vote for a walk then,\u201d she said with a sly smile. She truly had the ability to throw him for a loop whenever she wanted to.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Ma\u2019am,\u201d he answered with all the air of a gentleman, pulled in a deep breath, and turned to escort her towards home. They walked down the sidewalk, his arm wrapped around her body, hand resting on her waist in a very familiar way that was decidedly un<\/em>gentlemanly. She didn\u2019t protest.<\/p>\n They made some small talk on their way, about the trees lining the streets, the architecture of the buildings on either side, and even the cars that swooped down out of the sky to park in front of the stores outside the college campus. They talked about people and dogs too, pointing out the old dogs from the uplifted dogs. Sometimes it was easy to see the intelligence behind their eyes, sometimes they did a perfect job of acting like an old dog, even fooling the other dogs. He understood why they did it. It was their way of keeping in touch with their world, so they wouldn\u2019t forget where they came from.<\/p>\n And that was it. He blinked at the realization. For the first time, he truly understood why cybers did what they did, and that understanding filled him with determination. He let out a long breath and examined Samantha again.<\/p>\n She recognized the shift in his feel and her emerald eyes lifted to return his gaze. \u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n Jack smiled at her. \u201cWell, there\u2019s been something I\u2019ve been thinking about for a while,\u201d he finally said.<\/p>\n She smiled back, mischievous glint in her eyes. \u201cI know,\u201d was her only answer.<\/p>\n Jack sighed. She could be difficult when she knew she had the upper hand. Which was most of the time, as it happened. \u201cFirst, I need to ask you\u2026if you could be in two places at once\u2026if you could follow both your duty and your\u2026wishes\u2026would you?\u201d<\/p>\n Samantha blinked before resting her head against his chest again. \u201cI don\u2019t know. Could you be clearer about the situation?\u201d<\/p>\n Jack glared at her. \u201cYou\u2019re not going to make this easy, are you?\u201d<\/p>\n Samantha chuckled and shook her head. \u201cIf easy\u2019s what you want, you\u2019re taking the wrong walk.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack sighed and nodded. \u201cTrue\u201d he whispered and pulled in a long breath. He let it out again, set his jaw, and met her gaze. \u201cLook, I\u2019m leaving and there\u2019s nothing I can do to stop that.\u201d Then he smiled as words came to mind. \u201cIf there was no War, I would stay right here, though.\u201d<\/p>\n Samantha shook her head. \u201cIf there was no War, you never would have come<\/em> here.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack nodded and squeezed her in a comforting manner. \u201cTrue.\u201d She was completely correct. He would still be at home without Yosemite, still just enjoying life on the lake. He\u2019d never felt an urge to leave Earth before. Not even Minnesota. After all, what reason was<\/em> there to leave paradise?<\/p>\n After nearly a minute of silence, Samantha sighed again, pushing herself against his body. \u201cWhat\u2019s your real<\/em> question, Jack?\u201d<\/p>\n Jack smiled and let out a long breath. \u201cDo you want me to stay, Sam?\u201d<\/p>\n Samantha sighed and he felt the helplessness in her posture. \u201cYes. And no.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack squeezed her again. \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n Samantha shrugged and shook her head. \u201cI\u2026I don\u2019t want you to go, Jack. But\u2026I don\u2019t want you\u2026abandoning your brothers either.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack let out another long breath and patted her waist. It was the answer he\u2019d been hoping for. \u201cWhat if I could stay here\u2026and<\/em> go too?\u201d<\/p>\n Samantha stiffened in his arm for a moment before her eyes lifted to meet his again, confusion on her face. \u201cHow?\u201d was the only word that slipped from her lips.<\/p>\n Jack just smiled. \u201cBetty?\u201d<\/p>\n A hologram of Jack appeared, walking on the other side of her.<\/p>\n Samantha looked at the hologram, then turned to Jack with a raised eyebrow and an unamused expression. \u201cYou\u2019re going to fly off to war and leave me with a hologram<\/em>?\u201d she asked in a very pointed manner that demanded<\/em> an explanation quickly.<\/p>\n Jack cleared his throat. \u201cUm\u2026no. Though I see where that came from.\u201d He let out a long breath and bit the bullet. \u201cThere\u2019s this Peloran technology that\u2026well\u2026you know how good they are at analyzing brain waves? Finding parts of the brain that don\u2019t work right and fixing them?\u201d<\/p>\n Samantha nodded. \u201cOne of my classmates was born\u2026brain damaged. He gets straight A\u2019s now.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack nodded. \u201cExactly. Well, reading and fixing isn\u2019t all they can do.\u201d He pulled in a deep breath. \u201cThey can also save<\/em> them.\u201d<\/p>\n Samantha blinked and cocked her head to the side again. \u201cSave<\/em> them?\u201d<\/p>\n Jack smiled. \u201cEvery memory, every emotion, everything that makes us human, they can save it all. And they can grow new bodies to house them.\u201d<\/p>\n Samantha\u2019s eyes flicked back and forth as she considered that idea. \u201cWhy haven\u2019t I heard of this before?\u201d she finally asked.<\/p>\n Jack shrugged. \u201cBecause the main thing they use it for is to bring back soldiers who have died in battle.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd we\u2019ve never seen them fight until now,\u201d Samantha whispered with a frown.<\/p>\n \u201cExactly.\u201d Jack cleared his throat then. \u201cThe thing is, they\u2019ve never done it on a Terran. There are differences in our genetics and they don\u2019t know if it will work or not.\u201d<\/p>\n Samantha stopped walking and looked up at Jack with wide emerald eyes. \u201cWhy are you telling me this, Jack?\u201d<\/p>\n Jack swallowed and cleared his throat again. \u201cWell, I\u2019ve been talking with the Peloran and they might be willing to give it a go.\u201d He licked his lips, betraying his nerves. \u201cIf they are, would you be interested?\u201d<\/p>\n She studied him carefully and placed her free hand on his chest. It felt like electricity running over his skin and his heart raced. All of his attention was focused on her and she was the only point of existence in all the worlds that meant anything in that moment. She was all he saw.<\/p>\n She opened her mouth. A cry of shock escaped it as somebody ripped her away from him.<\/p>\n The world slowed down as adrenalin spiked through Jack\u2019s system.<\/p>\n His focus screamed far beyond<\/em> normal and the whole universe snapped into existence. He scanned the shadows on the edge of the sidewalk in a moment. He saw two people before him, but the shadows were empty of any other souls. He ran the last few seconds through his mind, sight and smells and sound, and only the ragged hearts of three individuals existed. He could differentiate the smells of three bodies and assorted nearby animals. Rats. Cats. Dogs. And rain. It was going to rain soon. The important part was that the third person had no backup. His mistake.<\/p>\n Jack focused on the mugger who still moved back with a hand wrapped around Samantha\u2019s neck and the other bringing a gun around towards her. A pistol. Jack reached down to grab the man\u2019s rising wrist with one hand. He took control of the gun and lashed up with the palm of his other hand, shattering the mugger\u2019s nose. The mugger uttered a muffled cry of pain as he released Samantha, cut off when Jack struck his throat. The mugger gasped in pain and blinked his eyes against the stars in them. He needed to breathe, but couldn\u2019t remember how. Jack pushed Samantha out of the way and brought a knee up into the man\u2019s groin, forcing a silent cry of pain from the man\u2019s tortured throat. Jack stepped back, kicked him in the knee, and watched the man fall to the ground in a gurgling, bleeding mess of shattered and flopping limbs.<\/p>\n Jack pulled the man\u2019s fingers away from the gun, being careful not to touch it with his fingers. He really didn\u2019t want to leave fingerprints after all. A swift kick of his boot sent the pistol skittering away to a safe direction, away from everybody involved.<\/p>\n The threat was ended.<\/p>\n The world sped up again as Jack let out a long, cleansing breath.<\/p>\n He stepped over to where Samantha had fallen on the sidewalk and went down on one knee. \u201cAre you alright?\u201d he asked and moved a hand to touch her.<\/p>\n She shivered away and he noticed the horrified look on her face. \u201cYou\u2026broke\u2026him,\u201d she whispered in shock.<\/p>\n Jack let out a long breath, pulled one in, and let it out again, controlling the adrenalin rushing back into his system. \u201cHe would have shot<\/em> you,\u201d he finally whispered.<\/p>\n She looked past him to where the man lay on the sidewalk, three of his limbs bent in ways no arm or leg should bend. \u201cYou could have stopped<\/em> him,\u201d she whispered. \u201cYou didn\u2019t need to do\u2026\u201d she trailed off, unable to come up with any words.<\/p>\n \u201cYes I did,\u201d Jack said in a calming voice. \u201cHe was a threat. An enemy.\u201d<\/p>\n She waved a hand at the shivering body, trying to breath. \u201cHe\u2019s just a kid!\u201d<\/p>\n Jack let out another long breath. \u201cHe had a gun. I couldn\u2019t afford to see the kid.\u201d<\/p>\n Samantha pulled up her knees, wrapped her arms around them, and shivered. \u201cI thought you could be a nice man,\u201d she whispered in a broken tone.<\/p>\n Jack felt the verbal knife sink in deep and shivered. He shook his head quickly and stood up straight. \u201cI\u2019m sorry you had to see that,\u201d he said, feeling something he\u2019d rarely felt in his life. He didn\u2019t know what else to say.<\/p>\n Jack could feel the distance between them, could see the romance of an officer and a scoundrel colliding with the truth of just how ugly fighting could be in her mind. At least he\u2019d spared her from seeing a dead man, but she probably wouldn\u2019t forget the way the mugger gasped for breath for a long time.<\/p>\n Jack sucked in a long breath and let it out again. He nodded in understanding. He slipped one hand in his pants pocket and the other thumb into his belt. She didn\u2019t want to be touched by his world, and he took pride in never touching a girl against her wishes.<\/p>\n He turned away from her and stepped back, giving her the space she wanted. And then he scanned the surroundings with pursed lips. They were safe, with no one else near enough to even see that anything had happened. He kept watching anyways, scanning around with all of his senses. He would not be caught unawares again.<\/p>\n \u201cBetty?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes?\u201d she asked from the speaker in his ear in a tone of support.<\/p>\n \u201cPlease call 911.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlready done.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack smiled. It was good to have a partner he could count on. \u201cThanks, Betty.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlways.\u201d Her tone said she truly would always be with him.<\/p>\n He smiled in thanks. \u201cYou should probably leave privacy mode, too. They\u2019ll want to ask you what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n The holoemitters on his uniform hummed to life and Betty flickered into being next to him. She scanned the surroundings, saw Samantha and the mugger on the sidewalk, and turned her head to meet his gaze. \u201cWell, you\u2019ve had an interesting night I see. What should I remember?\u201d<\/p>\n Jack pulled in a long breath and whispered, \u201cEverything that happened tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n Betty nodded in understanding and he saw her eyes flicker as she accessed the information that had been protected by privacy mode. Then she smiled and looked at Jack. \u201cIt was a good song. You should sing more often.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack shrugged and she put both hands on her hips in a gesture that said she wasn\u2019t going to take no for an answer. Then her gaze went down to the mugger still whimpering on the ground. \u201cGood moves.\u201d Sirens began to wail in the background and she smirked. \u201cHe won\u2019t be doing that<\/em> again.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI sincerely hope not<\/em>,\u201d Jack answered and stepped over to lean against a wall. Betty echoed his move and they waited for the police to arrive. The police always<\/em> had questions when would-be muggers tripped over their own feet this badly. He blinked as another thought came to mind. \u201cCould you call her father too? I don\u2019t think she wants me taking her home tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n Betty aimed a sad smile at him and whispered, \u201cAlready done.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack closed his eyes in relief. \u201cThanks, Betty.\u201d<\/p>\n He heard the holoemitters screaming as she used all the power they had to touch his shoulder with a physical hand. Then she leaned in close and whispered into his ear, \u201cI\u2019m not going anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n He reached up to place his hand on hers. \u201cThank you,\u201d he whispered as his other hand reached for the scarf hanging around his neck.<\/p>\n It was Samantha\u2019s scarf. He wondered if he had any right to wear it anymore.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Everyone one of us has a world we love more than any other. That has always been the beach for me. Add a guitar, a bonfire, and some pretty girls and that\u2019s my definition of heaven. Always has been. I\u2019ll[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5730","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-2304-forge-of-war-earc","uentry","postonpage-1","odd","post-author-medron-pryde"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5730","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\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5730"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5730\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5731,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5730\/revisions\/5731"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5730"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5730"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5730"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}