HOME | DD

Description

The light glittered off the towering form of the Imperator as he turned back to her. “That is what will happen afterwards. The resurgent Collective will liberate my sleeping brethren and with each stronghold we claim, the Sovereign Ones will grow more fearful. Combined with the leadership of Humanity, the genetic mastery of the Sectoids, the fleets of the Andromedons, the expertise and diverse skill of the Vitakara, and the legions of Mutons, we will break the cycle perpetuated by the Sovereign Ones.”

A pause. A heartbeat. “That is what I intend to make into reality, Patricia Trask. That is what I will bring to this galaxy. That is why I need your help.”

He lowered himself to one knee, and extended a hand to her. “You know the stakes. You know the truth. You know everything now. The time has come to choose, Patricia Trask. Join me, for the good of your species, the galaxy, and yourself.”

He was right. There were no more excuses. She knew everything that mattered. What she still believed she did not know was simply her deluding herself.

She did a psionic check on the Imperator, and unsurprisingly he was not lying. He might not know everything¸ but he clearly believed everything he had said to her.

He still had not lied to her, even after all this time.

It was a choice between loyalty to her friends and species, or to a larger galaxy. A choice of what really mattered to her. She could not choose both, no matter how much she wished it were otherwise. She was going to regret what she would lose no matter what happened; the knowledge of what she lost forever tormenting her.

A hero or traitor; a savior or coward; a martyr or pariah.

A Harbinger.

A soldier.

A Human.

Something more.

Yet she knew herself; she’d learned important things; things she would never be able to ignore.

But she was still Human. She had friends, people she loved and cared for. That couldn’t be forgotten.

Nothing would be forgotten.

No matter what, she would remember the cost.

But in the end, the choice was clear enough to her. She knew who she was, and what she had to do.

Staring into the helmeted eyes of the Imperator, Patricia Trask made her decision.

She took the gauntleted hand which dwarfed her own. “I’ll do it,” she said, her voice calm and collected. “I will join you.

~"The ADVENT Directive", Chap 46 'Harbringer'
by Xabiar

Description

The light glittered off the towering form of the Imperator as he turned back to her. “That is what will happen afterwards. The resurgent Collective will liberate my sleeping brethren and with each stronghold we claim, the Sovereign Ones will grow more fearful. Combined with the leadership of Humanity, the genetic mastery of the Sectoids, the fleets of the Andromedons, the expertise and diverse skill of the Vitakara, and the legions of Mutons, we will break the cycle perpetuated by the Sovereign Ones.”

A pause. A heartbeat. “That is what I intend to make into reality, Patricia Trask. That is what I will bring to this galaxy. That is why I need your help.”

He lowered himself to one knee, and extended a hand to her. “You know the stakes. You know the truth. You know everything now. The time has come to choose, Patricia Trask. Join me, for the good of your species, the galaxy, and yourself.”

He was right. There were no more excuses. She knew everything that mattered. What she still believed she did not know was simply her deluding herself.

She did a psionic check on the Imperator, and unsurprisingly he was not lying. He might not know everything¸ but he clearly believed everything he had said to her.

He still had not lied to her, even after all this time.

It was a choice between loyalty to her friends and species, or to a larger galaxy. A choice of what really mattered to her. She could not choose both, no matter how much she wished it were otherwise. She was going to regret what she would lose no matter what happened; the knowledge of what she lost forever tormenting her.

A hero or traitor; a savior or coward; a martyr or pariah.

A Harbinger.

A soldier.

A Human.

Something more.

Yet she knew herself; she’d learned important things; things she would never be able to ignore.

But she was still Human. She had friends, people she loved and cared for. That couldn’t be forgotten.

Nothing would be forgotten.

No matter what, she would remember the cost.

But in the end, the choice was clear enough to her. She knew who she was, and what she had to do.

Staring into the helmeted eyes of the Imperator, Patricia Trask made her decision.

She took the gauntleted hand which dwarfed her own. “I’ll do it,” she said, her voice calm and collected. “I will join you.

~"The ADVENT Directive", Chap 46 'Harbringer'
by Xabiar