Earth

2027

Vehru glanced at several UN members. "Our advanced AI will monitor your planet and coordinate with the Federation to work both with your own authorities here on Earth as well as our own."

Rory clenched her teeth. Supposed world peace had many costs. Lumiea was not some Utopia and her squad had only managed to scratch the surface over the years as they'd dug for the full truth about their world.

"How would the Federation respond to us declining to join?" President Saito asked the question with a tone as if she already knew the answer. And of course, everyone here did know the answer. This whole conversation was a farce.

Vehru smiled far too politely. "The people of Earth will be given the opportunity to choose for themselves. We will ensure everyone has the chance to understand what the Federation offers and to give their free and fair vote."

Rory lowered her head. Free and fair. What a joke.

"We would all prefer to speak frankly, Commander Vehru." Saito anchored her hands on the table. "Please do not waste our time with misrepresentations of reality. We want to keep our world and maintain our autonomy. You have come here uninvited with an agenda."

"I'm so pleased to hear you want an honest discussion." The polite smile quickly sharpened into her sneer. "Your planet was seeded and guided and has never been autonomous. You all want freedom. Understandable. Children always want to have their freedom and believe they deserve it, only look at what they choose to do with it. There's a reason our children don't raise themselves. The adults know what's best for them. There is not a government on Earth that is fit to run this planet properly. Your history makes that abundantly clear. It would be an abdication of duty to leave this world entirely in your hands as you push it closer to the brink of ruin."

President Saito stood but did not immediately speak. With measured words and an even yet authoritative voice, she spoke. "We are a flawed people and perhaps we are even lost. Our history, however, speaks clearly to the ramifications of colonialism and imperialism. By whatever name invasion takes, it is never for the betterment of those who are conquered. You cannot steal our land and claim it is for our own sake."

"Your land?" Vehru quirked a brow. "You're all on stolen land. Every one of your nations forged a bloody path to the place where you stand today, as far back as your history stretches, from the ancient days of tribal warfare to modern neo-colonialism. You steal from each other. Madam President, this is something you know well as a Japanese-American woman who often speaks of her family's experience in the internment camps. You know the nature of your world quite well. Yet you're president of the most oppressive imperialist forces in the world. Have you put an end to all the stealing your country does?"

Rory's stomach tightened at Vehru's sharp stare, but Saito did not easily back down. The other woman, who never allowed anyone to make her rush an ill-prepared response, offered a smirk of her own.

"Commander Vehru, do you draw comparisons between the two of us? As a woman from a conquered planet who has gone on to conquer others, do you believe that my position as President of the United States makes us the same?"

Oh, now that caught Vehru's attention. Rory recognized the genuine entertainment and pleasure in the commander's eyes. "You're a better woman than me, Madam President. I would never dare to denigrate your character with such comparisons." Vehru walked forward, always managing to keep command of the conversation by her confident look alone. "We can play politics and spin the truth as much as we want. The truth comes down to this. Earth is an investment and you cannot be trusted with such an expensive property."

Rory would never understand Vehru. She was goading the world into war. Had hundreds of years of conquering made her too impatient to cut to the inevitable? It seemed better to take a less violent approach and try to reach peaceful negotiations. Not that Rory supported any kind of compromise with Vehru and the Federation. They could not be trusted. She just couldn't make sense of their tactics.

"It sounds to me like you've already made a proclamation of war." The president of Sweden spoke with a bitter edge to his voice. "You don't appear interested whatsoever in hiding your violent intentions."

"It's expensive to come to Earth," Vehru said. "I'm sure you can understand that my people are eager to establish peaceful diplomatic relations and move toward a permanent relationship with few troops on Earth. The longer it takes for you to agree to our terms, the greater the cost incurred, and the more casualties the Federation will accept to speed things along. If we did not value the livelihood of your people and the stability of your nations we could take your planet in days. I came to bring about a swift agreement while also preserving as much of your planet as possible. These are frightening words for you to hear. I believe it is better to be truthful and realistic than to play politics, which will only lead to harsher interventions in the future due to the cost of prolonging this process."

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

A quiet, heavy with fear, fell over the group.

"I believe we should take a recess." The President of Germany spoke with the same eerie tone that Rory had once heard in the voice of a rebel who clearly knew the injuries she'd sustained were fatal but wanted to comfort her comrades. "We should discuss the information we've received privately."

"That is fine with me. I would like to resume in one hour so you can meet several of my generals and we can discuss the Federation's terms in greater detail, as well as the capabilities of our Armed Forces."

The meeting adjourned and the screens went black, all except for President Saito. She stared at Vehru.

"I would like to speak with Rory," Saito said.

"My Witness is always allowed to speak with whoever she wants. You can address her directly."

Vehru turned to her expectantly.

As much as Rory resented complying with Vehru in any way, she did not want to miss this opportunity to speak with Saito. "Madam President." Rory stepped closer.

"I'm not sure how freely you can speak," Saito said. "I've always known you to be a trustworthy and honorable person. The United States–the Earth–has not always done right by you. Who has mankind done right by? But people believe in you. Normal people who are going to be very scared in the days to come."

The weight of it crushed Rory.

"Remember us," Saito said. "Please."

Rory nodded, afraid that when she spoke the knot in her throat would make her voice quiver. It did not. "I remember a great many things now, Madam President. I can't tell you it's not as bad as it sounds, because I'm afraid it's worse than what you're capable of imagining. I can't even tell you that there's hope." She felt Vehru's eyes on her but she did not let it stop her. "There is one thing I can say. You'll never regret fighting for your family. Earth needs to become a family now."

"Touching," Vehru said.

Anger coiled around Rory's heart. "Show an ounce of respect for once in your life. We're human beings. We deserve dignity."

The commander hesitated for long enough that Rory thought maybe her words had gotten through to her. "I know exactly what you need. I've known you a long time now. I know how to break you and how to make you into something truly inspiring." Vehru stepped close, voice low. "Fight me. It's what you need to grow. Just don't delude yourself into thinking you're ever going to win."

Rory's lips curled in disgust. "I wish the woman who had fought for her planet could see you now. You've buried her so deep inside I'm sure you can't even remember what it felt like to be her."

Vehru sighed. "I do feel it. All of this. I just know how to push through it. Give me the room. You can wait for your husband in the hallway." Then she sighed. "Oh, don't act so rebellious that you can't even walk out of the room. Just go."

"Maybe you still are just a scared girl from a conquered planet who doesn't know how to stop fighting." Rory turned away without waiting to see a reaction. It would only infuriate her to catch a smirk from Vehru.

Surprisingly, the Commander let her walk away without saying anything else to her.

Bright sunlight bathed the hall in the gold. Rory took in her first real breath since Vehru had appeared in the kitchen and bent to pet Chip. She looked outside at the bright world that looked the same even though everything had changed. Why did this have to happen? If she could just close her eyes, turn back time, escape from the impending disaster, it could all be okay.

Her mind was not capable of processing the threat or the reality of the coming war. The dread settled like cement over her body.

At least Theo would be here soon. That man could make her feel a touch of peace even during the end of the world. She wished that he had been able to be in the room with her, but Rory shouldn't even have been there.

Turning around, she forced in another deep breath. There was no running. Rory had to face what was happening. With the sun warming her back as she tried to draw her mind back to her body. It felt like she was floating away.

Until heat erupted like earlier and pushed her back against the window hard enough for her to gasp. Fear prickled as she opened her eyes.

A man stood at the end of the hall. A fucking hulk of a man. And he was staring right at her.

Rory turned, unable to register the image that already had her heart pounding out of her chest. In even the most distant of her memories, those deep, reddish brown eyes shone clearly. The color and texture of his face and body filled in all the foggy places in her memory so her chest burst with the life they'd once shared.

He was frozen, staring at her still with the kind of shock and anguish and longing that words could not name. It looked as if the slightest breeze might make him crumble.

His name slipped from her lips like a soft cry.

"Jace."

His eyes widened when she said it, the surprise and emotion of her remembering like a shock wave that visibly hit him.

Ten years stretched between them. Ten years. Jace had remembered all they'd lost every single day of those ten years and carried on without her. Ten years and now only a few steps separated them.

Rory–Aeryn–took her first step toward a man who'd held her heart from another solar system, without her even remembering. Held it all these years buried deep inside where Vehru couldn't reach.