(eng) Mike Kupari - Privateer Andromeda 02 by Sins of Her Father

Author:Sins of Her Father [Father, Sins of Her]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 19

Ithaca

Ionia-5589 System

Southern Hemisphere

I have made history, Adisa wrote, collecting her thoughts in her journal, but our troubles have only begun. I was led down another series of tunnels that led to the surface. We’re in a clearing, and the electromagnetic interference from the jungle is low enough that I was finally able to upload my report to Command. The news I received back was not good: The referendum passed, by an overwhelming majority. A diplomatic envoy is already en route from the Orlov Combine to formally sign the treaty. The SAZ Congress has issued a proclamation declaring the vote illegitimate. The cease-fire that’s held since my father was exiled will be violated. It’s only a matter of time, now.

Of course, the whole colony doesn’t see it that way. The Council promises an end to poverty and inequality because of this alliance with the Combine. They claim that their advanced technology will allow everyone on Ithaca to be provided for. No one will be hungry, homeless, or wanting for basic needs. Combine freighters have been dropping supplies every few months, handing out food, medical supplies, and propaganda.

So many people are falling for it, and why wouldn’t they? They’ve been indoctrinated that it’s the colonial government’s job to provide them with everything they need, and the Combine promises to do just that. They’ve been fed the lie that if the colony isn’t united under the Council’s rule, then we are destined to backslide into barbarism, if not outright extinction. They’ve been told the native peoples will attack and wipe them out if they are not kept at bay. They’ve been told that if the Combine doesn’t become our benefactor, then the Concordiat will come in, forcibly take over the world, as they’ve done on Zanzibar, and put the welfare of the aliens ahead of that of the humans. Most of all, they’ve been told that the Southern Autonomous Zone and other groups resisting them are traitors, that they’ve been colluding with off-world forces to weaken the government and take over the entire planet.

All of that is the Council justifying the war to come. When it comes, they’ll blame us, no matter who fires the first shot. Command believes the Colonial Guard has been receiving weapons and equipment from the Combine, a military partnership intended to bolster relations before the treaty was signed.

The Combine has been careful, up until now. Nothing they’ve done has been an overt act of hostility or interference. They weren’t willing to risk the Concordiat intervening. As soon as the treaty is formally recognized, though, they will come, and they will come in force, and I very much doubt the Concordiat will be willing to risk war to stop them.

Adisa was so engrossed in her writing that she didn’t notice Follower of the Storm at first. She was sitting on a rock, under the shade of a juvenile pseudo-tree, on a hot, humid, but beautiful day. In front of her was a clearing in the thick jungle, where one could actually see the sky.

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