Chapter 11
"If there is a universal truth in this Universe, it is that there are no universal truth's" Ibrahim Wallace Holmes, " The Valley of Darkness"
"A good government knows that the best government is the government that is not needed." Calvin Nguyen-Huang "Bittersweet Lullabyes"
"But you know why we have war? It's really easy. John; do you know why? Malcolm? We are in the 26th century, and we are still killing hundreds of thousands of human beings every year. Why? Exactly, John, exactly. It's because we are good at it. Damned good at it."
~This Evening in Politics with Saul Bellowes
She looked across the shallow bowl of Haarlingen Crater, pausing mid-stride to scan the wrecked Enemy Crawler. She counted a half-dozen bodies around the wreckage, flung this way and that in the explosive upheaval. Unaware that she was doing it, she patted her gun, a feline-like smirk spreading over her face. Almost time to head home for a bit. Maybe take a breather from the killing fields. Her grin turned evil for a moment, trying to imagine a week spent not tracking down and killing the Enemy. She huffed, raising and lowering her shoulders. Fine. Even though she had earned some time off, she couldn't say the same for the enemy. So she would stick around and pick off a few more.
That would have to be vacation enough.
There was no valid reason the War had lasted as long as it had except one: Humans had a capacity for violence that was unmatched by any other race in this part of the galactic arm. It had taken decades for the combined enemies of Humanity to learn how terribly violent we were; and usually they had lost tens or even hundreds of thousands of troops in the process of being taught.
And Humans, being old hands at war, knew that fighting in ones own backyard was fraught with problems. Populations dislocated or dismantled, factories and habitats destroyed, whole biosystems laid waste. No; far easier to have these grinding battles as far from Humanities core worlds as possible.
So places like Buran IV had been chosen. Not because they were useful, but quite the opposite: because no one would miss them too terribly if they were blown into sand. And, as the Colonial Marines had decided its main goal was offensive actions to keep our myriad enemies off-balance, it often fell to 'irregulars' to play defense, and man the walls separating Human territory from our foes.
Sometimes it was simple greed that lured these 'irregulars' to the fight. Sometimes it was the simple want to explore. With some, it was the thought of free college, or free healthcare, or the ability to vote.
But it was the last group that perplexed our enemies the longest. It was this last group that hung on in the impossible conditions on Buran, and scraped by with whatever equipment could be scrounged.
It was the last group, you see, that fought for that most Human of reasons.
Because they simply liked to kill.
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"A good government knows that the best government is the government that is not needed." Calvin Nguyen-Huang "Bittersweet Lullabyes"
"But you know why we have war? It's really easy. John; do you know why? Malcolm? We are in the 26th century, and we are still killing hundreds of thousands of human beings every year. Why? Exactly, John, exactly. It's because we are good at it. Damned good at it."
~This Evening in Politics with Saul Bellowes
She looked across the shallow bowl of Haarlingen Crater, pausing mid-stride to scan the wrecked Enemy Crawler. She counted a half-dozen bodies around the wreckage, flung this way and that in the explosive upheaval. Unaware that she was doing it, she patted her gun, a feline-like smirk spreading over her face. Almost time to head home for a bit. Maybe take a breather from the killing fields. Her grin turned evil for a moment, trying to imagine a week spent not tracking down and killing the Enemy. She huffed, raising and lowering her shoulders. Fine. Even though she had earned some time off, she couldn't say the same for the enemy. So she would stick around and pick off a few more.
That would have to be vacation enough.
There was no valid reason the War had lasted as long as it had except one: Humans had a capacity for violence that was unmatched by any other race in this part of the galactic arm. It had taken decades for the combined enemies of Humanity to learn how terribly violent we were; and usually they had lost tens or even hundreds of thousands of troops in the process of being taught.
And Humans, being old hands at war, knew that fighting in ones own backyard was fraught with problems. Populations dislocated or dismantled, factories and habitats destroyed, whole biosystems laid waste. No; far easier to have these grinding battles as far from Humanities core worlds as possible.
So places like Buran IV had been chosen. Not because they were useful, but quite the opposite: because no one would miss them too terribly if they were blown into sand. And, as the Colonial Marines had decided its main goal was offensive actions to keep our myriad enemies off-balance, it often fell to 'irregulars' to play defense, and man the walls separating Human territory from our foes.
Sometimes it was simple greed that lured these 'irregulars' to the fight. Sometimes it was the simple want to explore. With some, it was the thought of free college, or free healthcare, or the ability to vote.
But it was the last group that perplexed our enemies the longest. It was this last group that hung on in the impossible conditions on Buran, and scraped by with whatever equipment could be scrounged.
It was the last group, you see, that fought for that most Human of reasons.
Because they simply liked to kill.
To view this post on G+, click here
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