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The Line of Resistance, part 8
The console beeped.
'Welcome Sister Miriam. You have 6 messages.'
Miriam laughed. She placed the projection unit on the ground. The images would be projected life size, just in front of her desk.
"Computer! Open frequency one."
This reminded Miriam of Star Trek. She was one of a few very lucky people to have seen it. The censors had considered the original series to be 'ungodly and containing too much sexual interaction'.
Lal's face hovered about 2 meters from the ground. He looked as miserable as ever. His beard had long gone white and he looked frail.
"Ah Miriam! I think I speak for the council when I say that I am appalled by your-"
She cut him off.
"Computer! Open frequency two"
Morgan, looking as full bodied as ever, started his tirade.
"You made a terrible mistake Miriam. You have alie....."
She cut him off.
"Frequency three"
Yang, enigmatic as ever, a bare wall behind him.
"Good-day. I think that your actions were most ineff...."
She cut him off
"The Gaians" Miriam sighed.
Deidre barely had time to condemn her before she was cut off.
'Now it was time for business'. Miriam thought.
The computer suddenly flashed
'Twin UOP Needlejets.loc 3,4,14. Targeted and destroyed.'
Miriam reclined in her chair. She punched in the commands to hail Zakharov.
"You....*****! How dare you attack us. You had no reason to attack!"
He lapsed into incoherent Russian. Miriam maintained her gaze.
"You are the most ignorant, toxic and blind little whore that I have ever seen."
He stopped suddenly. Aware of her stare,
"Are you quite finished?" She asked coldly.
She imitated the lecturers voice, that Zakharov often used condesendingly.
"You were supplying arms and technologies to our enemies. You were building up forces along side our border. We have proof of an alliance with Lal. In which you were going to attack us, without provocation, It was simply more efficent to strike first."
Zakharov virtually had a spasm in front of his vidscreen. He bit his lip, paused and started to lecture her back.
"If you did not rely on such backward technology, as you do. Your agents would have reported that we refused to to sign an alliance several days ago. We also terminated our technology treaty several weeks ago."
"That doesn't explain the movement of your military".
"The only reason we reinforced our border was because you were reinforcing your border. Tvarch!"
Miriam was taken aback by this. The color from her face was gone.
"My, how you are a hypocrite..." She smiled to herself.
"How am I a hyp"
"You preach logic and the irrelevence of emotions. Yet you remain a creature of emotions. God cannot work with such a misbeliever as you. That is why we attacked"
She hung up.
'Three...Morgan..Unity Rovers....KIA' The computer showed urgently.
Santiago was the key. She will speak with her, prehaps lend an ear. Miriam was perterbed by the information she had recieved from Zakharov. Prehaps he was right.
You must have faith in yourself she thought. She drew in a breath.
"Frequency 6"
The body of Santiago appeared in the middle of the room. She was quite transparent. As Miriam would be. Miriam stood up and walked towards her own holoprojector.
None of the other leaders could appear with their bodies. They had all moved on to better equipment and it was barely compatible with Miriams technology, only showing faces.
Santiago kept the old style, just to bring her presence to the opposition. She looked as she did on the Unity. She was tall, well built, but with eyes that peered out from her high cheekbones, giving her a feline appearance. How far could she trust her.
"When beholding the tranquil beauty of the ocean skin, one forgets the tiger heart that pants just below the surface..."
"Yes thank you PAULINE, Sorry Colonel, AI troubles.."
.." Herman Melville -Moby Dick, Data.."
"OFF!" Miriam barked.
Santiago laughed. Her hands swayed at her sides. She grinned, a most unusual gesture.
"My dear Miriam, how ever did you launch the Bomb? Your AI would have preached about the sancity of life."
"Only the lives of the faithful are sacred."
"And the lives of those that sell weapons to the faithful"
"You told me that that bomb would be a 700 Kiloton"
"It did the job didn't it? If you had detected it earlier, why did you not ask for a better model?"
"How could we tell the power of the weapon? We are far behind in nuclear technology"
Santiago rolled her eyes.
"Enough. I am here just to give my formal diplomatic protest, as a member of the planetary council".
She pronounced 'council' with venom.
"Now! when are you going to send your reinforcements?" Miriam clasped her hands together.
"I'm sorry...reinforcements?"
"You are going to help me in this war, are you not?"
Santiago sighed.
"I am sorry, dear Miriam. You are fighting a losing cause. Sparta Intelligence suggests that our forces are barely able to contain the Hive, in our present war."
"Oh rubbish! Our intelligence indicates that you have easily enough forces to complete our offensive"
Santiago smiled.
"Is this the same intelligence that indicated that the University were selling weapons to the Peacekeepers?"
"You promised on your honor to help us"
"I promised nothing. I do not wish to be annilated. Think yourself lucky that we are not at war"
"But, LISTEN!"
Santiago cut her off.
Miriam took account. The alliance was at war with her. Morgan and the Peacekeepers. No doubt the University would be at war soon. The Gaians had threatened vendetta, but only if another planet-buster was used. The Hive was absorbed in its war with the Spartans. The Spartans were neutral. She had three enemies and no allies. She would have to revise the strategy, again.
The Door in front of her slammed. Gillian was staring at her.
Continue to part 9Back