Descent

Mouse slipped into her suit, Miranda's words heavy on her mind. Jordan didn't seem as concerned. He seemed lost in the ritual of preparing the suit. It was like a dance, his hands folding into the proper shapes as if they remembered the steps.
"You think anyone would do it?" She asked, sitting on a metal bench and staring at the rifle laid against the back of her locker.
"Do what?" Roadrunner asked. He took one look at her face and answered the question himself, "retaliate?" She nodded, and he shook his head, "Maybe but I doubt it. Not directly at least. That was Miranda's way of shooting across the bow."
"A warning?"
"Yeah. Laws on the army's side. Retaliation would be a crime at best, a revolution at worst." Jordan sat beside her and clasped his hand together. "I've seen both worlds. There's a lot of politics behind the wayfarers. We don't get to see much of it. Since the war, the elders have struggled to figure out just what to do with us."
"How so?" She asked.
He sighed. "We're not military, nor a government agency. Despite that, we're armed to the teeth, have a means of producing our own ships, and there's plenty of us with an axe to grind. It could happen, sure, but none of us are keen on pulling a gun on our parents. We fire that shot, and a lot of people we love will die."
"I don't know." A voice said from behind them. Argus grabbed the rifle from her locker. "Some of us don't have parents. I'll admit I considered it. You know who they shot, right?" Mouse and roadrunner shook their heads and she nodded. "That was Nero. He joined less than a month ago. He died without ever leaving the planet. Never been on a ship. He was nice. Didn't deserve that."
Their attention turned to the front of the room. A heavy step echoed off the metal walls as Oracle approached. The suit he wore was new, given to him when he joined Homebound.
He spoke in a whisper, checking around to make sure no one was listening. "I can hear you from the door, guys. Might wanna stop talking about it. The grunts are already nervous."
"Sorry." Mouse said, reaching into her locker and grabbing the rifle. "It was getting to me, that's all."
"You're not the only one." Oracle replied with a nervous smile. "Do you know how close I was to saying no?" No one answered. After a brief silence he cleared his throat. "You guys are with me and Lethe. Stick with us and all will be fine."
"They got Lethe? How'd they do that?" Roadrunner asked.
Oracle laughed and shrugged. "No idea, but she's pissed. They got Styx too, and their kids. Are you guys ready?"
"As ready as I'll ever be," Mouse said, sliding her helmet on.

They followed Oracle out and into a long hall. They dodged people from each direction, some just in the way while others dodged past as they ran down the corridor.
When they got back to the platform in the main lobby, the admiral and the general were gone. When they took the lift up to the surface, Mouse raised her hand to block the sunlight. It took several moments for her eyes to adjust.

She heard the shuttles, the engines whirring all around her. When she could finally see, she saw hundreds of people moving with purpose.
Another wayfarer from Homebound approached. Oracle waved and rushed to meet her. "Which one is ours?" He asked.
Lethe pointed to a shuttle on the far side of the square. "That one, there."
They rushed forward, only stopping when the sight of a man being kicked on the ground caught their attention. He was a soldier, but the woman slamming her feet into his side was a wayfarer. "Not so tough without your gun, are you?"
Lethe stepped forward, her hand out. She pressed against the woman's chest, pushing her back. Lethe screamed, "Where the hell are you supposed to be?"
"Does it matter?" The woman replied.
Lethe nodded, laughing. "Move to your assignment before you get shot. If not by them, then by me."
The woman spat at the man on the ground before retrieving her helmet. "Of all people, I wouldn't expect that from you."
"Don't misunderstand. I get it, but we have bigger problems right now. Move it." The woman nodded and sauntered over to a nearby shuttle.
The soldier stood, nearly stumbling as he struggled to carry his own weight. "Thank-"
"Oh, piss off. I'll gladly shoot you too."

The archivist watched shuttles take to the sky above Dawn. He noticed the clouds gathering in the distance, and took comfort in the fact that rain was coming.
Something caught his eye, the leaves of a nearby bush rustling despite the lack of wind. They were getting bolder with each passing day.
Despite their presence, he never felt unsafe around his uninvited guests. What could they do? At worst they simply made his life inconvenient. It wasn't until he reviewed the footage from the station that he knew to be worried.
What began as a subtle shift in the air turned to theft. Everyday objects disappeared only to be found where he never would have put them. Papers blew to the ground, the faintest sound of footsteps echoed through the archive.
Invicta claimed that they broke into hell, but these were neither demons, nor angels. Where would he even begin?

Miranda rolled her eyes. The elders only just sat down, and she was already eager to leave. They sat at a long table, the general sat across from her and the elders sat at the head.
Elder Kines listed off the charges. "I, Elder Leonard Kines, call the council to order. This hearing is to address accusations against one Admiral Miranda Thrace by one General Steve Baker. The charges are attempts to incite a riot, misuse of military rank, and-"
"You can't actually be serious." Miranda said with a chuckle.
The elder paused and gave a smile. "Is something wrong, Miss Thrace?"
"Absolutely," she began. "These charges aren't right. Given the circumstances, I believe inciting a riot wouldn't be valid. Insurrection would be far more appropriate."
The Elders laughed, Leanard in particular. General baker was not as amused. "You do realize that being found guilty of inciting insurrection is punishable by death, right?" He asked.
Miranda nodded. "I do, which is exactly why I know this all for show. If this was a legitimate issue, I'd be facing a punishment fitting the crime."
"All the same," Elder Kines began, his voice raised to stifle any response to her words, "we do need to address what happened."
"What happened?" Miranda said, her face twisted in disgust. "What happened was a young man was gunned down in his own home. He was 21. Who's going to tell that boy's mother? Not the army. What do I even say?"
"General Baker?" Elder Kines said.
"The boy was refusing the call of duty. In accordance with the law, that makes the truce between us and the wayfarers null and void for him. That would make him an enemy of the state."
"Then apprehend him. Don't gun him down." Miranda screamed.
"You said yourself, admiral. The wayfarers are trained better than some of our own special operatives. I imagine the soldier was more than a little nervous."
"He couldn't handle the pressure? That's what you're going with? He got spooked?" Moranda scoffed and folded her arms tightly across her chest. "Fine, I'll buy that, but if that's the case and this soldier couldn't keep calm, why was he given a damn gun?"
"I think we're getting off topic here, don't you agree?" Baker said, his attention turned to the elders.
Kines nodded. "Yes. Miranda, I'm afraid we're not here to discuss the incident with the boy. This is about your conduct in Dawn."
"That incident is the reasoning behind my conduct. Try as you might, it's most definitely relevant." Miranda said, trying to keep her voice down. "What I said was for your benefit, general. Incidents like that cannot happen." She paused and placed a hand on her chest, "Now I don't have to worry. The navy and the wayfarers have enjoyed constant and long-lasting cooperation since the first war. We've fought side by side. I'd like to keep it that way."
"Do you really think the wayfarers would strike back?" Elder Kines asked.
"Not right now, no. The boy was new to their profession and hadn't made many friends from what I understand." Miranda unfolded her arms, straightened herself in her chair, and continued, "that may not be the case next time."
"They're kids, Miranda. They lack discipline. They aren't even organized. That is part of the army's problem with them."
Miranda held out a hand, forcing him to stop before she began speaking, "You measure worth by time spent in service? No wonder we lost all those ground assaults back in the war. Do you know how I got my position, general?"
"I do, and there was more than a little luck involved."
"Right you are. I started as an engineer. Where was I in The Battle of The Pillars?"
"Fighting on unity."
"Yeah. A navy engineer fighting siliue ground troops outside her crashed vessel. Where were you, general?" The general shifted in seat. After a moment of silence, she answered for him, "you were with the elders, held up in that bunker, their bunker. When I was made admiral, I studied our history. Humankind and war go way back. You want to know something I found during my long nights at the archive?"
The general opened his mouth to answer but Miranda cut him off, "It was rhetorical. I found that when people get mad enough, they tend to act." So many wars in our history began with a single incident that happened to piss off enough of the right people. Don't repeat the mistake. Create a martyr and you'll be the one with the rope around your neck. Not me."

"What does this have to do with the charges?" Elder Kines asked.
"The charges brought against me were based on a misunderstanding. What I said was out of concern for his well-being, and that of all Safeharbor citizens. I'd hate to bombard the planet from orbit. I only sought to keep the peace. It showed them they have someone high up that's on their side. Look me in the eye and tell me that wasn't a wise choice."

Dissent