Her husband, seated beside her thumbing through the Hawthorne Times, glanced over at what she was jotting down, catching a few words here and then as he attempted to interpret her jagged handwriting. “Playin’ with the dead again, I see?”
Her brow furrowed accompanied by a frown, not quite wanting to be disturbed with his usual moralizing and finding her mind jammed in trying to figure out who to resolve this particular issue. “‘Playing?’ No. Manipulating? Yes,” she corrected.
“Mmhmm…so what’s the problem then?” Jack asked, noticing her contorted expression.
“Alright, if you really want to know.” The elf sighed, finding that perhaps now would be a good time for a break, and talking it out might very well cause an idea to strike her; she placed the pen within the book’s gutter and rested her hands over one another on top. “Theoretically, let’s say someone dies and wishes to preserve themselves as a guardian of a crypt…”
“Right…” He knew vaguely what she was speaking of: ancestral guardians, which he had briefly run into when he accompanied his wife on a visitation to her family’s crypt, but thankfully, he didn’t have to worry about fending them off at the time.
Siri continued. “…stripping off their flesh generally gives you a simple skeleton: decent for scaring people off, but not the slightest bit effective at actually fighting someone off. It’s like a security guard for a housing development.”
Jack then picked up where she left off, clarifying what she had said, making sure that she knew that he understood everything she was saying and was not pretending to. “They’re there to be a deterrent; thieves aren’t interested in confrontations with people – they’re generally not murders. But if there’s somethin’ happening that’s bigger than that, their job is to call the police, people who actually have the training to deal with these situations.”
“Exactly,” she nodded. “Skeletal guardians look scary but not much more than that, which is why I’m attempting to devise a solution where they can maintain some more of their previous life’s…bulk. Flesh is a useful cushion for any blows that come, tendons and muscles keep the bones from scattering all over the place, and the muscles themselves add more strength so they can do more damage.”
“So the trouble, I’m bettin’, is that you’re tryin’ to keep them from becoming a stinky, slimy mess,” he answered her bluntly.
“Precisely,” came her rather simplistic response as that was indeed the problem that had plagued her. The results of her experiments tended to result in massive amounts of decay, blood dripping wherever the body moved, rotting flesh dropping off here and there; it wasn’t exactly fit for talking about in detail to anyone, especially to him.
“You know, I haven’t got the slightest clue about all this necro-stuff and frankly, I’ve never been all that big of a fan of it.” Which was something that was already well known, but he was just reiterating his feelings about the matter. “Rather morbid and depressing, I think. Nothing but death and gloom.”
Siri disagreed with that particular belief; it was something that most people had misconceptions about, and it annoyed the hell out of her. “It’s not as much as you would think, actually. Think of it as being like a coroner; you’d assume that all you learn about is death, but in reality, you learn so much about life, because how someone died tells you quite a lot about how that person lived. They’re not mutually exclusive; you cannot have one without the other.”
“I suppose so,” he relented quickly, not because he necessarily agreed but he was trying mainly to avoid becoming overly preachy about it all. That in turn would result in an argument, which was something he did not want. “But that’s still someone’s body you’re trying to recreate. Bones are just bones in most people’s eyes; people have seen fake skeletons all over on Halloween. You just don’t see them as being an actual, real person. But flesh and blood bodies wanderin’ around, no soul or whatever? That’s creepy.”
The elf smirked. “You think I’m being creepy?”
“Yeah…yeah, I do,” he chuckled, putting an arm around her that squeezed her tight. “I love ya, dear, but your hobbies are…odd, to say the least. I’m just waitin’ for the moment you up and decide to replace our soldiers with your undead army.”
“Well, they would be more obedient, require less training, and you would not have to worry about them being scared or screwing something up. Plus they’re disposable.” She then got that playful glint in her eyes. “You’re just not taking this far enough, though. Why stop there? I should be ruling over an entirely undead nation. Think of how my popularity ratings and civil obedience would skyrocket.”
At least she still has her sense of humor about it, he thought and laughed heartily over her response. “But you wouldn’t win any prizes for the friendliest people…or the best smellin’.”
“That’s something that I shall have to work on then…perhaps conjure up some aromatic spells or something.” Siri put on her mockingly thoughtful expression and stroked her chin. “How does lilac sound?”
“You’re better off just hangin’ a few of those tree car air fresheners from their ears,” he added, still grinning. “Just imagine that nice, fake piney scent.”
“Good idea. I’d better write that one down.” The elf nodded, picking up her pen and starting to read over everything that she had written before to get her previous train of thought back on the rails, as she realized that they had both run that topic into the ground with their mockery.
Jack, still chuckling under his breath, had also picked up right where he left off in the editorial section and started to read about the editors’ opinion on the corporate restructuring issue that had been going on. It was thankfully an honest, informed, and a well-deserved critique; the people were not actually speaking from a position of ignorance or religious fanaticism like so many others had. It did, however, bring up a question that had been on his mind for quite a while.
“How’re things going at work, by the way?” he asked, finally breaking the brief moment of silence and disturbing her thought processes, and folded the newspaper closed down onto his lap. “You haven’t said a whole hell of a lot about it lately.”
She shrugged and sighed, looking up from her writing. “As good as one could expect considering the circumstances. Oh, there’s the usual flack about stripping everyone of their offices before their terms have expired and making the voters return to the polls to vote them back in again. They say it’s not fair to them after they’ve spent so much time and money to become elected. But they’ve shut up after I’ve suggested that I’ve been contemplating banning all previous officeholders from ever running again for the same position.”
His eyebrow arched with concern. “Have you?”
“No, but it stops their bitching quite quickly.” She then caught him giving her a rather disapproving frown and glared right back at him. “Now don’t give me that look; being a wiseass to people when they’re being jackasses isn’t my forte. You have the gift of biting sarcasm; I do not. I threaten.”
“I guess it’s better than your old way of resolving conflict,” he answered, referring to their initial meeting many decades before where she smacked…or rather, beat…him upside the head with a club without warning because he was intruding in a place where he should not have been. Of course, no one had told him about such things at the time.
“Exactly.” She folded her arms across her chest. “I’m not that bad anymore; I have much more patience and less of a desire to assault people now. You needn’t worry about me or how the nation is going to be run. I have it under control.”
Jack looked down thoughtfully at the newspaper, answering under his breath, “Yeah…”
“I’m still sensing that uncertainty in your voice…tell me what’s going on.” If there was one thing that she learned over the years, it was that they had to be open with one another, not letting these sorts of issues fester beneath the surface and become some unspoken burden for one to bear.
“It’s not you,” he admitted freely, shaking his head. He didn’t want her worrying that she had done something wrong again and he was disappointed in her, which she hadn’t and he wasn’t. “To be frank, twenty years ago, I would’ve said you weren’t at all capable of the job, but now, you’ve grown into it and I think you would do fine. It’s just that, after spendin’ so many decades in the big chair, it’s hard to fathom anyone else taking the job, so I’m nitpickin’ at everything they do. You do things in a different, but not necessarily worse, way than I would.”
Siri sighed. “Jack, that may be so, but there are things I’ve learned from you. Take for example: I’ve been hearing murmurs of uncertainty with governmental employees, worried that they’ll be laid off with all of these upcoming changes. I could very well ignore them – what matters after all is the big picture. But no, that would be a rather asshole move.
“Instead, what I did was tell them that, if they are the ones who will be laid off, we will be halting new hiring to begin with and try to transfer them to other areas of the government – relocation expenses paid for – and if we cannot find them new work internally, then we’ll give them enough severance pay to last six months and training to accommodate their new jobs.
“Yes, it will cost significantly more money than just dropping them completely, but I would rather not be a dick to people who don’t deserve it. These are people with families to care for. Saving all this money doesn’t matter so much if you’re screwing over a bunch of people – that’s something I learned from you.”
He was taken aback by him actually rubbing off on her a little. “I’m impressed.”
“Really?” the elf asked, equally surprised to hear him say that about her. There were numerous things they never saw eye to eye on. She sometimes thought that he was way too soft on people, while he, on the other hand, thought that she was at times too harsh.
“Yeah, you didn’t have to do that. There’re many different things you could’ve done, but you believed that helpin’ the people was more important. It counts for a lot.” He smiled warmly. “I always hear lots of leaders saying how their people support them or have their back or whatever crap they come up with to say that they’re oh so popular and that works well and good sometimes…but, they forget that they’re the ones with all the power and resources and they should have their people’s backs in return. That’s what makes this whole big thing work.”
“I see your point,” she answered and nodded. “It’s what takes to be an effective military leader after all, too.”
“Pretty much,” he responded, speaking from his own personal experience in moving up through the ranks throughout the decades. She also had the same sort of experience when she started her career solo and worked up to leading her own band of mercenaries. “You and I both had large amounts of leadership experience before getting this job, which I think has helped us immensely.”
“What would you say about Alak who lacks it entirely?” Siri had always been a little disappointed that he hadn’t chosen a military path as so many others around him did and felt that it would have served him well when leading the colony and any future endeavors. But he didn’t. Such was life.
“He’s got a good start, I think. He knows how to handle all the issues of the colony, he’s building the cities up and out, and he’s not blowing the budget either…and probably one of the more important things is that he knows when he’s not up to snuff on things and either finds out more about the problem or asks someone for advice.”
“I agree there.” She nodded. “I just do not feel as if he has had a proper trial by fire yet – a real crisis. Yes, I am well aware of his misadventures with Calavyr, the situation surrounding his genetic memories, but those were mainly personal problems – none of which involved doing anything in any official capacity. He’s not had a serious event where millions, perhaps billions of lives were at stake; he’s not had that decision that sets the course for an entire nation.”
Jack arched a brow. “You’ve obviously thought quite a bit about this, so what’d you have in mind?”
“Simple. Increase his involvement in the decision-making around here. Send him out to converse with foreign leaders as an actual member of this government and not merely the head of a small colony. I do not wish to yank him out of being a governor, mind you; I’m well aware he loves his job, but he needs to be more active here. I thought the arrangement we had prior to your retirement went rather well. Shiran handled the details, you handled the big decisions, while I traveled abroad for the various events and such, and then we switched roles from time to time. I would like to attempt something similar with Alak.”
He considered the idea very carefully for a few moments. “Sounds like it’d work. Pose it to him and see what he thinks of it.” There was then a brief pause as he realized he was starting to speak like he was still in power. Ah, old habits certainly die hard. “Now, what about Arielle?”
Instantly, a frown came over Siri’s face and she snarked. “Her? Put her in charge of the department of acquiescing…” But she then abruptly stopped what she was saying, realizing that she was about to start ranting off, and sighed. “Sorry…I know. I have to hold my tongue.”
“And here I thought your relationship improved after your little fight,” he remarked.
“Barely. Oh, she proved that when pushed hard enough she’ll actually take action, but it shouldn’t come to that. One ought to be willing to stand up for themselves and fight regardless of the circumstances. None of this ignoring the problem or putting up with it until it goes too far, like with her parents.” That was the most frustrating part about it all. The elf dealt with her problems before they became too much of an issue or, if it was too late for that, simply met them head on, while she felt that Alak’s fiancée, on the other hand, usually ignored the problem until it went away – which it usually didn’t.
Jack was well aware that his wife would never truly let this thing go, unless Arielle tried to change the way she reacted towards these situations, so there was little point in arguing with her over it. Sure, he could protest, but she would fume and continue to subtly harass the woman when he wasn’t around. She was like that, and that he just put up with. “Still don’t like her methods, eh?” he asked, continuing to pick her mind. “What about Alak’s?”
“He needs to be smacked upside the head for it, too. It should have been nipped in the bud when it first became a problem, but now, it has festered for god knows how long. Mark my words: not solving it completely will come back and bite them both in the ass.”
“Except her parents have nothing left; they’ve lost it all,” he pointed out.
“Exactly my point.” She nodded. “Compare it to protesting. You are middle class, have a relatively decent paying job, care for a nice family, and maybe have partly paid the mortgage on a house. Do you want to risk that all, find yourself under arrest and charged with some crime if the protest goes bad, or possibly get injured or killed all in the name of protesting some injustice? No, you’re content with what you have and you fear losing everything, thus you will play it safe. Now, look at someone who has no job, no savings, no family, and no home. They have nothing more left to lose but their lives. At this point, why would they not just go all in? They see her living rather well and living happy, while they continue to flounder in their misery with barely a thing to eat. Just make one last hurrah and suicide bomb them or gun her down from afar.”
Jack stared blankly towards Siri. “I hope to god for their sakes that you’re wrong, very wrong.” And yet despite his wishes otherwise, he knew that what she said was still possible, unfortunately.
“As do I, but I don’t believe I am, namely because I was in the very same position as they are, in many respects. Nearly everything was taken from me before my very eyes, yet I remained alive and sought out my revenge upon them. It was all I thought about until the day I finally made them suffer for it.” He still appeared rather concerned by this and what all she was saying hadn’t helped in the slightest. “Alak can handle himself, mostly. Anything more than that, I have my methods of helping. Besides, their target would doubtfully be him, unless he somehow manages to get in the way.”
Jack slumped back into his seat, rubbing his forehead in aggravation. “Oy, it’s always something, isn’t it?”
“Always is, always will be.” She placed a hand upon his free one and rested her head upon his shoulder. “That is what happens when we have positions such as these; bullshit is attracted to us like moths to a light. You should be grateful you’re out of the woods now.” Then, seeking a way to turn his attention away from that dreadful discussion, she abruptly changed the topic and asked, “By the way, what have you been doing with your free time now?”
Relieved for the respite, he visibly relaxed and smiled. “Oh, spent some time with Alak the other day, and Shiran, and a few other folks that I’ve known over the years. Been fishing a whole bunch. It’s actually been rather nice. I think the biggest decision that I’ve had to face was what to have for lunch. A baloney sandwich actually, but it was missing some onions.” He winked. “You know how that can put a damper on your day.”
“Ooh, what big plans!” she said teasingly, gently poking him in the side.
“Ow! You know it,” he faked a flinch and chuckled. “But really, I like it. It’s been a long, long time coming and it’s something that I’ve been planning for ages now.”
“You didn’t get a chance to do anything of the sort back while you were working?” While it might have seemed odd for her to ask such a thing since the two were indeed married, with the usual workload they faced, either one or the other was off traveling or doing something else that occupied their time, so they were often like ships in the night, just maybe meeting one another for dinner during the week. Sometimes Jack would have some time free, but often Siri was on the other side of the country, world, or even galaxy to him.
“I did, but there was always that dark cloud hanging over everything. You couldn’t waste too much time doin’ these things; there was work to be done. You couldn’t be too out of reach in case there was an emergency. So vacations were just plain rare.”
“Now you have the time. Enjoy it. You deserve it. Let me worry about everything else that’s going on.” She gave him a kiss on the cheek.
“Thanks.” Smiling warmly, he kissed the top of her head. “I love you, dear.”
“I love you, too,” she answered back.
And with that, the couple gradually returned to what they were doing from before: Siri continued to plug away at devising a solution to her necromantic problem, while Jack simply tried to finish reading the day’s newspaper. They chatted every now and then, just some basic small talk about various topics, but as the night progressed, the two passed into a quiet slumber together, against each other there upon their cushiony sofa.
----
With the sun barely peaking above the surrounding forests and through the old, wavy panes of the mansion’s windows, bathing everything in a light blue glow, Siri had risen early, leaving her husband still resting there. Mornings for her were the same old routine – get the coffee pot going, take a nice long hot shower, make sure that she’s decently dressed for work, nurse the piping hot, freshly-brewed mug while reading through the day’s messages and reports on her datapad, and then eventually head on off to work.
She returned from the shower to find the kitchen strangely empty. Odd, she thought. Jack is usually up by now. Even in retirement, he still managed to wake up at a fairly early time, partially because of his military experience and because it was simply too difficult to not keep up with the same thing that he had been doing for the past ninety some years.
Maybe he’s sleeping in for once? Carefully sipping from the mug, so as not to spill it as she made her way back through the house and into the library, Siri found him still sitting there upon the couch, apparently asleep. Sitting like that is going to make him hate himself when he finally gets up. She grumbled, setting her coffee down on a nearby end table, and started to nudge him to get him to lie down to avoid hurting his back, but he didn’t stir.
“Jack…Jack…” she repeated several more times, pushing him some more and frowning. “Come on…” That usually either got him to scooch on over in bed or stop his damned snoring, but here, strangely, nothing happened. He remained seated perfectly still and had yet to make a sound.
That was when the old familiar fear began creeping into the pit of her stomach, her heartbeat quickened, and that sense of panic started to seep in. She started shaking him more vigorously, hoping that he was simply in an incredibly deep sleep and pleading him to waken. “Damn it, Jack, wake up!” But still he did not move.
Did he…? She knew that there was only one thing that could alleviate her worries, but that one thing would settle it for once and for all and a part of her was not sure if she wanted to face that. Siri’s hand trembled as she reached out and placed her fingers alongside his neck.
Nothing.
His skin had gradually cooled, no longer holding the same heat that it had when she had snuggled up against him those many hours ago. No! No! her mind shouted, not willing to accept his fate, but inwardly she knew that he had been gone for far too long for anything to revive him. Still though, she laid him down flat upon the sofa and attempted to administer CPR for a few moments, but to no avail. In frustration and a last ditch effort, she placed her hands upon his chest and delivered several blasts of electricity into his body, acting as a sort of defibrillator. His body jolted a few times, but still, nothing happened.
With the ever increasing weight crushing upon her mind, it had begun just turning everything off, emotionally shutting down and severing itself with what was going on in the world around her – all to deal, or not deal rather, with the fact that she was powerless to do anything and that there was no one that could be blamed either. He had simply passed peacefully into the next world. There was no one to take revenge against, no grand scheme that could bring him back, nothing that she could turn to where she could find solace.
The elf slumped down next to him upon the floor, tightly grasping his hand in hers and just sat there, blankly staring off into the distance.
----
Terminals of varying sizes were used all over the nation for things such as making credit card charges, checking the balance of one’s bank accounts, and renewing a driver’s license or passport. In some circumstances, emergency message could be broadcast through them, like notifying the public that there had been a child abduction or a hurricane would be coming their way. But today, across the country, from large bustling department stores in the capital city to lonely outposts on cold, dead worlds, a simple message came through, letter by letter.
- Code: Select all
FMR CHAIRMAN O’NEILL DEAD AT 109
OOC: And that's that - a thread that somehow managed to take me about 8 years to get worked out and written. If you're interested in doing something in particular with this, toss me a message; if you want to just poest condolences, go right ahead. I've got a few more poests that I'm planning on making.
