He was Almost Absorbed by the System

Chapter Ninety Five - Seventy Two Hours Part One

Guran Vi Du wanted so much to be a landscape artist. He studied gardening and plants in his spare time. He drew up basic designs through his middle school years, which became more intricate as he entered high school. He secretly had ferreted away credits from his part time jobs and had planned to study the subject formally at university.. until his mother put a stop to that.  She used the words of guilt. 

"It's a dream of mine that my son follow in my footsteps..."

"Wouldn't it be nice if you were able to study under my old professor..."

"Look, love, these are the first tools I ever took to a dig.  I can't wait for you to use them!"

And so he had reluctantly put aside his own dreams for those of his lone parent and took the subjects she once took as his focus in university.  And when she secured him a place on an up and coming dig, he had followed with out a protest.  During the dig, he died.  But though this was the end of Guran Vi Du, it was not the end of Guran Vi Du as his physical self lived on.

At that moment, Guran Vi Du was being observed under the scrutiny of many suspicious eyes and just one pair of warm ones that was failing to hide the love within them.  "Oh, hello, there," he said, nervously.  Explaining this was going to take some eloquence.  Fortunately he had some experience with that sort of thing... in a former life.  "I'm Guran Vi Du, formerly of the Alliance.."

"You mean that thing that attacked us was from the Alliance?" A hot headed youth from the lost fleet cried out.

"Ah, no, not exactly," Guran tried to explain.

"Well then, where did it come from?" the man beside him demanded.  "Captain, we should just kill this thing now. Everyone is dead because of it!"  He was not addressing the Captain of the Sabine, who crossed his arms with a frown.

"I can safely say that was not my doing," Guran replied.

"Who else is to blame?" the ensign shouted.  "You were aboard that thing!  You survived! Someone needs to pay from the crimes against us."

"If you kill me now," Guran said with a slight sigh.  "Then I can guarantee that you will not stop the invasion that is coming."

"No one is killing anyone," the teenager with the silver white hair standing close to him yelled, as he stepped in front of Guran as if to shield him.

Guran gently placed a hand on his shoulder.  "You aren't supposed to know me, remember," he said with a gentle whisper.  He stepped around the slight blockade to face his accusers.  "You are right to be angry," he said to the men confronting him.  "You are right to be upset.  But you have no right to judge me without hearing the full situation."

"Oh?" The woman holding the teenager that looked identical to his lover questioned.  "And just what are the circumstances?"

*****

Aldon Krause collapsed in his seat behind his desk, his mind blank.  Within the space of just twenty minutes, more than three quarters of a border regiment had been destroyed and an additional fleet of twelve ships had sacrificed themselves to protect the Empire.  Jezmi Welhaven's ship had been amongst them.  But, she had told him that she was moving to intercept the pirate holding his sons... had they died to?  Just like that any hope for their future as a family gone? 

He swept the desk clear of tablets and pens, even the empty, chipped mug his wife had gifted him flew subject to his wrath.  But his eyes were dry, so much so that they burned.  Why had he not found them sooner?  What reputation?  What position?  What did that matter anymore? 

Jezmi's parents, as well as the families of the lost men and women, were demanding explanations, but he had none to give them.  Military Head Quarters simply received a short tranmission from the fleet; they intercepted a megalith of a spatial vessel that appeared to be made up of an immeasurable number of nanochips.  Lasers and Missiles did not work.  Their only choice was a last ditch kamikaze run.