Splintered Reality - part Eleven

“And how do you know this?” exclaimed Gunny with a puzzled look, as she punched a series of numbers into her control panel.

“Look,” replied Brighde sheepishly, “I know how it sounds but…”

Gunny cut her off as if she hadn’t heard Brighde at all.

“How?” she interjected.

There was a long silent pause which filled the small Amarrian figate. Brighde hesitated, not sure how her long time friend and ship mate would respond.

Quietly, looking out at the starts that formed the outer rim of Amarri space, Brighde said, “you won’t believe me.”

Gunny, having finished setting the ship on autopilot, turned in her chari to face Brighde. She put one hand on Brighde’s shoulder.

“Brig, she began,” trying to summon up as reassuring tone as possible, “we’ve known each other a long time. You are the only family I have – at least the closest thing to it. Just tell me sister.

“Does it matter how I know? Don’t you think its about time? How many eons have our people been concurred by one race or another? How long? You know the ancient history of the tribes a well as I do. The elders make everyone learn it so we can carry on the tradition.”

There was another long pause filled only by the hum of the sub-light engines.

Brighde continued.

“Back on ancient Earth, when the pilgrims came to the ancestral homeland of your people, what happened? What did your grandfather tell you?”

“The pilgrims only survived with the help of my ancestors,” replied Gunny glumly – she knew where Brig was going with this.

Brighde’s tone was getting more heated now.

“And what happened within one generation to the ancestors of the same band of your people, she said. What happened to that same village? What did the Europeans do?”

Gunny turned to stare out the window, so Brighde would not see her tears. Looking out the window she answered.

“They killed everyone. The entire village.”

Gunny jumped as Brighde broke the quiet by slamming her fist into the control panel to emphasis her next point.

“And the ancestors of those same people built this ship, Brighde growled. They were killing and enslaving the tribes then and the Amarri are STILL going it. Doesn’t it matter to you that the grandparents of the same people who built this ship OWNED your grandparents?”

“Your wrong,” said Gunny quietly

“What?!” shot back Brig.

“Your wrong about who built this ship. The Amarri usually use Minmatar slave labor.”

“That’s the point, exclaimed Brighde. Don’t you think it is time the tribes where united? Don’t you think its time the slavery stopped?”

Gunny regained her composure and turned back to Brighde.

“But you said they WILL be united – now. How do you know that?”

“I just know,” replied Brighde more quietly.

“How?”

Brighde hesitated. Sighed. Then looked out the window at the void of space. Quietly she replied…

“I had a vision.”