Project Relia Book 1

Chapter 11 ~Song Of The Dead World~

Dia had his comms set to the Emperor's speech, in the background as he made trips to and from orbital platforms taking as many as he could fit in the transport shuttle.

Quarter listening, half flying, and fully lost in thought. Each trip took about an hour, and he was at it for days. The planet's hemispheres had drifted apart regardless of all efforts to keep them still. The halves began tumbling in odd ways making each landing more and more difficult.

With roughly two billion still on world, the choice has to be made. The atmosphere was bleeding off, gravity was in flux, it was nearly impossible to continue evac and rescue options.

Dia snapped to really when he heard the Emperor with a quiver in his voice, and great despair say that the operation could not be continued.
That it was just too dangerous.

Moments later the order came. All evac missions cancelled. The people left, were on their own, and the fragments were declared "off limits."

Most of the ODF fleet was recalled, and had formed a flotilla around Ordessa's Moon. Ship commanders called into a special meeting, the Great Hall on Orcompa was offered to discuss the plan going forward.

"Admiral on deck!" Called a security officer, and the entire room snapped to attention.

Admiral Ferdn stepped to the podium. "Good evening. Normally, the core of admirals would talk behind closed doors, along with the Emperor to decide what steps should be taken to protect our people, our world, and our way of life." Ferdn straightened his fully written and prepared speech, he looked down at the papers, and a single tear feel into them. He tossed the papers to the side, and transitioned from behind the podium. "I can't read that. I've never scripted in my entire career, and I'm not going to start now." The man was larger than life, but he appeared tired. It had been several months since the attack, and three weeks since the planet's destruction and days since the evac missions were cancelled. He looked tired. He looked beyond distressed, his normally stoic face clearly shown the sadness he was feeling. It was clear that he hadn't slept in days, possibly even weeks. "Late last night, the last signs of life on the fragments of our home faded away. Ordessa is completely gone. The final shelter lost its ability to support life at 2436 hours last night. Just before," me dropped his gaze, fighting back months of stress and tears. "They transmitted their last report. A thank you for all of your hard work trying to save everyone." Ferdn motioned to all the commanders. "Thanks to your efforts, approximately seven hundred million lives were saved. At this time I would like to request a moment of silence for the others that could not be saved. For all the lives lost."

The sounds of quiet sobs were the only sounds during the moment. Everyone had lost someone dear to them in the cataclysm. And almost as if it was planned, Ordessa's planetary anthem could be heard being sung by officers at random points in the large hall. Then more joined in. All voices shaky the long song being sung through tears, and anguish. A song of mourning soaring high into the amphitheater, and out into the world.

When the song was finished, the room again became silent, but to everyone's amazement, the soft sound of the anthem was again hard from outside. The large crew of hardened military commanders rushed to the courtyard to find thousands, tens of thousands of Ordessans and Orcompans stretching across the courtyard and into the city, all singing in memorial. There were cheers of admiration, signs of camaraderie, and civilians standing at attention, saluting. Ordessan pride as far as the eye could see.

Through their home had been destroyed, Ordessa was not defeated. Not a single ship commander had a dry eye. This time, not from despair, but from the love of Ordessa's people.

The people loved their protectors. At this moment, all were friends, all were family.