SG: Aurora #49 - Though My Soul May Set In Darkness... (Part One of Two)

[Frobozz]

    The Detroit river has always been one of the best kept secrets of 
Canadians who live in or around the Windsor/Detroit area. While the city 
of Windsor itself had for quite some time taken an extended and headlong 
plunge straight down the crapper, somehow the city's waterfront had 
remained a balm for even the weariest of souls. Beautiful gardens combined 
with a breathtaking lake view of Detroit -- a city whose own many sins 
seemed washed away by merest application of water -- to provide a setting 
where one could find peace and solitude amidst the bustle of an otherwise 
busy urbana.
    Daphne Anesthetic sat perched on the railing that separated most 
park-goers from the choppy Detroit river and watched as the Peace Fountain 
shot a torrent of water high into the air. The day's breeze was perfect, 
wafting a light aftershock of mist back towards Aurora's jailer. Daphne 
closed her eyes and let the cooling water caress her face, experiencing 
one of those rare, perfect moments of bliss when the simplest pleasure 
could pay off startling dividends.
    "You -know- that's not safe, girl," came a voice from behind Daphne, 
pulling her out of her comfortable thoughts . "Someone might come along 
and give you a shove and then where'd you be?"
    "In the drink, duh," she replied as she opened eyes, settling them on 
the distant, misty skyline rather than turning to regard the speaker. 
"That's why they've got these rescue rings stashed on the fence every like 
ten millimeters. They expect everyone to fall in a few times, so there's 
three buoys for every girl."
    "Trust me, you don't want that," said the interloper, leaning against 
the railing next to Daphne. "I know it looks all calm, but there's a 
killer current down there. You get in, you're going for a ride to Elvis 
knows where."
    "Don't you have some chillun to go tell that Santa's just a figment of 
their imagination? I was -tryin'- to enjoy some peace and friggin' quiet, 
maybe bliss out for a bit after a hard day. And here you go and ruin it 
all by talking." Daphne paused. "And by being here in the first place."
    "How sharper than a serpent's tooth," sighed the speaker. "You sure 
h'ain't changed."
    "You seem to've. Quoting? What's with that? You decided cracking a book 
wouldn't kill you after all?"
    "Turns out that there's only so much to do in prison. After you've had 
your name tattooed on your butt and shanked a few guys on a Friday night 
just for something to do, really there's not a whole lot left other'n to 
wait for the book cart to come around. Though I suppose you can also learn 
a handy trade in the production of toilet wine..."
    "Yeah, yeah. Fine, so you're literate now. Anyway, I heard the buzz 
that you were getting out."
    "The fact that you were here rather than in Hamilton to meet me speaks 
volumes."
    "Did'ja really expect anything different, Cal?" Daphne asked, finally 
glancing over her shoulder. Cal Anesthetic, her father -- recently ranked 
worst father in Canada for ten non-consecutive years running in an 
internal poll held by Daphne at several local pubs -- stood there at 
parade rest behind her. To her surprise, she noticed that her father's 
face had a strange new quality to it, one she'd never seen on it before. 
She couldn't for the life of her figure out the nature of that quality, so 
being herself, she just let it drop. "I mean seriously. How did you think 
that story would end?"
    "Expect, no. Not even for a moment. But a father is allowed to hope."
    "Yeah, well. What're you doing here? Or did your 'daughter's doing 
something even slightly wrong' senses tingle? And you rushed -right- over 
to pretend like you had a right to comment?"
    "Actually, I came to see you, Daphne."
    "And you knew where I was how, again?"
    "Your friends at Aurora told me."
    "Some friends," Daphne snorted, casting her gaze back at the waters so 
that the anger in her eyes wouldn't be too obvious.
    "To be fair, none of them would willingly give me the time of day. 
However, with the help of some advanced interrogation techniques..."
    "Y'know, there are days when I'm -so- damned glad you never raised me. 
I can just imagine my prom date getting water-boarded."
    "Yeah, well," replied Anesthetic, with a shrug. "Look. I know... 
really, I know... that you don't owe me an Elvis-damned thing. I also know 
that where I'm concerned, you've got every right not to have a generous 
bone in your body."
    "First thing I can agree with so far. Want to go for two?"
    "But I'm -asking- for a few minutes of your time. Here. Out in public. 
With the populations of two cities and two nations watching us to make 
sure that I don't try anything that you consider, you know... "
    "Skeevy," replied Daphne, her voice carefully schooled to neutrality. 
"Why, Cal? It's not like we have a lot to talk about. We could've once, 
but..."
    "I know, Daphne. We have a lot of buts between us. And that's... well. 
That's my fault. Completely. I know that. But let's put it this way. I've 
come here and I've asked you for something. I didn't demand it... I didn't 
try to brow-beat it out of you. I've accepted that the reason we've come 
to this point is because of me, and only me. So far, doesn't it sound like 
maybe I -might- have something new to say to you instead of the same old 
bluster? And one more thing."
    "S'at?"
    "I've got a vested interest in not pissing you off. 'cause between the 
old man and the old man river sucking you away, I'm betting you'd be 
willing to jump and take your chances with the one who's all wet."
    "Which one's all wet's a matter of opinion. But... 'kay, Cal." She 
turned so that she could perch facing Anesthetic. "You've got five 
minutes. After that, I'm gone. And if this is some kind of plea to forgive 
you, forget it. I'm not the forgiving kind."
    "Just like your mother," replied Anesthetic with a sigh. "No. I 
understand. And I only need one."
    "Then g'on with it, will you?"
    "Fine. Daphne... I wasn't the worst kind of father to you. I was, 
instead, the worst sort of -man- to you and to most people around me. 
There were reasons for it, but this ain't the time for reasons. I've done 
a lot to you... to everyone... that needs apologizing for. And Daphne... 
I'm sorry."
    Daphne waited for him to go on. After a moment she frowned. "That's it? 
Just 'I'm sorry'?"
    "That's it, yeah."
    "-That's- supposed to make it all better, Cal? Two words? That makes up 
for it all?"
    "No, Daphne. That's not supposed to make it better. Nothing's supposed 
to make it all better. But like I said... I've hurt a lot of people. 
There's no way I can make even a little of that hurt better. The only 
thing I can do is own up to what I did. And then walk away."
    "Just like that, hunh?"
    "Just like that. I didn't come here to reconcile with you, Daphne. I 
came here to tell you that I know just how bad I screwed the pooch. What 
you do with that? That's your business. I don't have the right to anything 
more'n that."
    "You're damned right you don't, Cal." She considered. "What're you 
doing next?"
    "Honestly don't know, Daphne," replied Anesthetic, shrugging. "The 
military won't have me back. I'm still persona non grata with, like, 
everyone in Canada. So I'm thinking my options as a newly minted pariah 
are travel, writing my memoires or politics."
    "Heh," murmured Daphne, mirroring her father's shrug. "Well, 'kay. 
Cal?"
    "Yeah, Daphne?"
    "Don't call."
    "I understand, Daphne."
    "Till you finish your book. Then... I wanna read it. First."
    There was a moment's silence.
    "I understand, Daphne."

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

                Chris Angelini/Frobozz Magic Productions

                              -and-

                        Mademoiselle Muse Inc

                        -in association with-

            'We Didn't Mean To Colour The Sky Pink, Honest!'
                Industrial Special Effects and Magic

                               -and-

        The Overworked and Underpaid Lisa MacDougall (producer)

                             -present-

                             AURORA #49

                 "Though My Soul May Set In Darkness..."


%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

    It had been a long three years. It has often been said that the reward 
for good work was more work; and for Aurora nothing had been more true 
than this.

    Few enough organizations could sustain space travel on their own. Oh, 
there were several groups around the world -- mostly organizations of 
superguys -- who could handle the maintenance and upkeep of one or maybe 
even two space-going vessels. But by and large, the cost of a sustainable 
space-program was the province of governments. Thus it was to the 
governments of the world that Aurora looked for ultimate backing for 
Doyle's plan to take humankind outside the warm cradle of Sol. And as with 
all things involving governments, the project was immediately crushed 
under the epic weight of committee, objection, threat, anger and of 
course, fear.

    Under normal circumstances, this would have been where Aurora's 
space-going plans ended as they were debated into oblivion by the western 
governments of the world. But, except for the Lagrange stations, Japan's 
SDF-1 and a handful of alien technologies captured and pressed into use, 
the world didn't have much in the way of star-travel technology available 
for public sector usage. Moreover, it was with dawning realisation that 
the powers of the world came to realise what Aurora was really offering to 
them: a consistent and maintainable space-exploration technology with an 
organizational infrastructure for it built right in. Having access to one 
of the world's two ground-to-orbit elevators didn't hurt Aurora's case 
either. And so there came an end to the bickering...

    I'm sorry. Did I say that there was an end to the bickering? I'm sorry, 
I really meant to say that the bickering exploded in ways never before 
dreamed of by Doyle. The tale of how The Compromise emerged from out of 
such sturm and drang is one that involved great men and women of vision 
and eloquence, who found common cause despite national and ethical 
divisions and managed to persuade a few dozen charging bulls to avoid the 
really nice china. It is also a tale for another time. Though no one was 
completely happy about The Compromise that would give space to the Earth, 
in the end none of the nations that mattered were completely unhappy 
either. Aurora's role would expand as a result of The Compromise; it would 
shed its former, Terrestrial duties, and instead take on responsibility as 
a world-accessible space organization. Aurora would remain based in Canada 
in much the same way that the United States provided a home to the UN. 
Signing countries would reap the benefits of science and exploration 
equally, and no industrialized nation would be so foolish as to pass on 
that bounty.

    Of course, Aurora's autonomy -- so dearly won -- would have to come to 
an end as a result of The Compromise. Aurora would be compelled to answer 
to the oversight of a rotating council of countries which ensured that it 
was behaving in an ethical and representative manner. Initial Crews would 
be primarily Canadian, but multi-national personnel would begin training 
with the existing spacefarers to bring a necessary heterogeneity to the 
organization's makeup.

    Exploration, scientific study and resource exploitation were 
immediately placed on the table, along with the restructuring of Aurora's 
military capacity into a true solar defense fleet. Extra-solar 
colonization became a topic of heavy discussion. Though things changed 
only a little for the common man on the ground, the world seemed to grow 
just a little bit closer together as a result of this dialog.

    There were still problems. There would -always- be problems. China's 
presence in the union threatened to kill the deal stillborn. Likewise, 
Russia's. The Space Security Council was yet another Compromise, one which 
allowed the larger nations of the world to have a more direct hand in the 
defense of local space. Few were completely happy with what emerged, but 
fewer still could turn their backs on the prospect of being able to extend 
policy past Lunar orbit.

    And while the nations of the world debated what they would do with this 
new toy, Aurora had not remained idle. Shipbuilding and crew training had 
continued in earnest, so that when the world finally decided that they did 
want Aurora, Aurora was ready for them...

***

[[Concluded in part two!]]

---
-Chris
frobozz at eyrie.org
http://www.eyrie.org/~frobozz

Geek Code
GFA/IT/PA d-(+) s--:+> a- C++ UL*++ P+++ L++
E W++ N+ !o !K w++(-) O? M++ V? PS+ PE Y PGP
t+ 5++ X+ R+++ tv+ b+++ DI+ D++ G e++>+++ h- r* z?