The Price of Failure

The Price of Failure

Year 2320, Candran Calendar

The two councilmen shuffled past Ajanae, carrying an unconscious form between them.

“Don’t worry,” the first man said as he saw the look in her eyes, “he is uninjured.”

“Take him inside, the council leader awaits.”

As the men hurried past her, Ajanae smiled thanks, knowing that they would be dead in

minutes. They quickly descended the stairs and deposited the man into the underground room.

Ajanae was unsettled by the absence of rings on their fingers. For the first time in her life, she

questioned the decision of the council leader. If they were to die anyway, why not allow them to

where their rings? Without further words, the men disappeared into the dim light, seeking to

spend their final moments with their loved ones.

A moment later, the council leader stepped outside in silence. She chose to respect his privacy

and left him alone with his feelings as he departed into the night.

Alone, Ajanae watched as the glowing spheres descended through the evening sky. Had she not

known the doom they represented, she would have thought them beautiful. She sighed to

herself; their appearance was proof that her father had failed. Aj, as her friends called her, knew

that all that she loved would be gone in minutes. Her world, her life, even her faith in the

almighty hung in the balance as the spheres drew nearer.

Watching as the enemy closed on her home, Aj recalled a stormy night as a child when she had

woke up from a bad dream. Her father had told her a famous saying from what he claimed came

from his home across the stars: All you have to fear is fear itself.  Although everyone thought

the fever had made him believe he was from another world, she had always wondered if just

maybe it could be true. Ajanae had been very young when he had entered her life and had

always considered him her father. No matter what happened, she still loved him with all her

heart.

She chided herself for the fear that even now fought to control her. Glowing in the fading light

of the last sunset her world would ever see, the first of the spheres streaked across the sky in

front of her, firing as it went. A line of flames and smoke was all that was left in its path.

Ajanae was just a little surprised as the fear suddenly left her at just the moment that it should

have grown. She turned and walked down the steps behind her. It was time to say goodbye to

her father.

Year 1975, Julian Calendar

“I can’t believe I ever swallowed your line about someday being someone, you are such a

loser!” screamed Jenny.

Jesse held back his anger. “I told you I would get you the money when I can, you know I just