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| Lpnet2-100 Lpnet2: The 4D Earth War Chapter One: Callisto Colony Two Chapter Two: To Amplexa and Tranqua Chapter Three: Asteroid Mining, Politics, and War Chapter Four: Return to Earth Chapter Five: A Friendly Reunion Chapter Six: The Last Outpost Chapter Seven: Air-strike in the Night Chapter Eight: The Temporal Connection Chapter Nine: The Temporal Intersection Chapter Ten: Reunion with Old Friends Chapter Eleven: Ideals for the Future Chapter Twelve: Stonedancer Grounded |
The 4D Earth War
Chapter 11. Ideals for the Future
After a good night’s rest, I awoke to find Lisa making breakfast in an organic chemistry section of our wing. She had a couple of hot plates with eggs and coffee cooking. In the bright sunny light of midmorning, I could see how the place was beginning to serve as an apartment. It occurred to me that, since our defeat of the rebels, everyone would probably try to branch out and attain more freedom. “It’s great to be out of that bunker,” Lisa admitted, and poured some coffee in a cup for us. I checked the time and agreed with her, realizing she had been ‘underground’ for over a year. As I thought of this I was reminded of my own desolate confinement on the asteroid in deep space. After breakfast, I helped Leo and the girls move some furniture and boxes, etc..., and around 10 am decided to check in on the Warbird and make some record adjustments and course plots of the locality for the next scheduled reconnaissance. At about 11 am I went outside and heard music in the distance, coming from the direction of the bunker. I saw Lisa with a basket of food come from the direction of the greenhouses. “We’ve all decided to have a picnic on the grass,” she said, “a celebration for our winning more freedom.” “I was just about to go see Al," I said, and joined her, as she walked to the bunker. “Where is Leo and Laura?” “They’re already there,” she said, “I was hoping you’d join us.” “Of course,” I agreed, “but Lisa, what we won yesterday was just a battle. There’s no certainty that the war is over. Al and I will be going on a recon, shortly after noon.” “Then you have time for lunch,” she insisted, and we walked on across the field, as the music became more obvious. I was somewhat surprised to see John, on the top of the space-science building, to the east of the bunker, with a band of musicians, playing the guitar at the lead. Apparently, John had never stopped playing, as I had, years ago, before going into space. He had went on to be a successful musician, something I had failed at. It was a perfect day for a picnic, and the classical rock and jazz blaring from the top of the space- science building had a positive charge about it. The picnic was on the grassy south side of the bunker, and we passed through the bunker on the way to it. “I’ll see you later,” I said, “I’m going to find Al.” I went up the escalator as she passed into the kitchen. As I reached the second level lounge, I saw all the people outside on the grass. The bunker was empty. Apparently everyone had been cooped inside for so long; they were taking the opportunity to get some fresh air and sunshine, at last. As I looked out over the grassy field, I saw about a hundred people; men, woman, and children, playing, eating, throwing balls and Frisbees, and just basking in the sun and listening to the music. I wondered where Al was, checked all corners of the lounge, and then sited him with the others, outside. I was hungry, but I had some thinking to do, and so I decided not to go out just yet. Instead, I went down to the cafeteria, and got a tray of food, then turned to the lounge. I sat at a lounge table, ate, and listened to the music muffled by the structure around me. I thought about what had to be done next. We, meaning Al and I, had to go on another recon and cover a wider territory. We’d record everything on the land below us by remote video and Al could study it while I flew, or visa versa. I figured on going as far south as D.C. and far west as Chicago. Then, we had to rescue the innocents from the rebel base at the old Springfield Power- Plant. It wasn’t simply a matter of dropping a few bombs, which we might have to do eventually, but we couldn’t kill the innocent women and children forced into slavery against their will. Either way, the rebel base had to be put out of commission; doing so would be the biggest operation yet. As I ate and listened to the cheerful sounds outside, I began to put a general picture of what had happened on Earth over a year ago in my head. Several rebellions engineered by ‘underdog’ nations, all members of the ‘Minor league of Third World Nations’, occurred throughout the world at the same time. Apparently, the lower caste of workers in America, Europe, and Asia all decided to put down the tools and pick up the weapons. They had lost respect for their wealthy leaders and decided they wanted a bigger piece of the pie, even if it meant going to war, fighting and killing, to get it. Within a year, the governments and economies collapsed, mainly because the lower-caste refused to work for it. The factories that were run by humans stopped production and the ones run by computers were sabotaged. The war-machines that existed were expended on the battlefield, along with an estimated 5 million people. The poor banded together as rebels, looted and destroyed the wealthy upper-class properties, and killed as many wealthy tyrants and tycoons as they could get their hands on. There were very few upper-class companies that survived, and most of the wealthy people were either dead or in hiding. Warehouses of food were being quickly depleted, and people were beginning to kill each other just for a box of food. Rebel leaders, such as the ones at the power-plant to our south, were taking the upper hand now, and they were more concerned with death, destruction, and power than life itself. We had to destroy the base to put an end to this madness, and we couldn’t just kill the innocents, so somehow, we had to get them out of the rebel base at the old Springfield power-plant. |
Chapter Thirteen: Rebels in the Aftermath Chapter Fourteen: Temporal Relativity Chapter Fifteen: The Hand was Forced Chapter Sixteen: Ion Trace to the West Chapter Seventeen: A Warlord and an Evacuation |