The Hood: Tom, we've had a chance to review your report.
Tom: Yes sir.
The Hood: Seems there was a bit of trouble on Tranquility.
Tom: Yes sir.
The Hood: A breakdown in discipline your report says.
Tom: Yes sir.
The Hood: (eyes scan Tom) I see.
Tom: (stares straight ahead)
The Hood: Your report is a bit sparse on this breech. Explain.
Tom: Sir, as you know, John and Cait were personal friends of mine. What occurred before the destruction of the Tranquility is something I would rather not remember and since detailing the atrocity would serve no purpose in the greater scheme of the Deleo, I chose not to elaborate.
The Hood: Not your place to make those judgments.
Tom: Yes sir.
The Hood: History must be honored. For the children. They must know.
Tom: Sir, I'm afraid I don't follow.
The Hood: Tell me what happened. For history. So that we may be honored by telling the truth, however painful that may be. Honor the children Tom. Give us the record. You are a man of honor, are you not Tom?
Tom: (looks uncomfortable) Two of my men, on the boarding party, disobeyed orders. Before killing Cait, they raped her. The rape, unfortunately set off an unexpected reaction, and what was to be clean, became chaotic and ugly.
The Hood: (after a slight pause) Who set the self-destruct on Tranquility?
Tom: We don't know sir.
The Hood: But we do know you were the only survivor. Is that true?
Tom: Yes sir.
The Hood: And we know that John and Kyra and everyone else on Tranquility is dead.
Tom: Yes sir.
The Hood: I see.
Tom: Will that be all sir?
The Hood: Yes.
Tom: (turns to leave, only the sound of his heels is heard clicking and clacking toward the door)
The Hood: Tom?
Tom: Yes sir?
The Hood: One more thing. Have you ever heard the name Taboodja?
7 comments:
I like the way you write this, the conversation flows easily, hard to achieve :)
Thank you Miladysa. :-)
Two! A rare and special treat. :-)
Agree with miladysa, your conversation always flows regardless of subject matter or the lips from which they originate. Am worried for Tom and just how far he is believed and/or whether he will be proved a liar. That last question more or less confirms the sense throughout that The Hood are well aware that he is not telling the truth. The background on what happened to Cait told so matter-of-factly once again lays credence at the foot of the theory that less often is more. In the telling, the horror shows itself more starkly. My thoughts go to John especially and what it must be doing to him, to know that Cait's last minutes were fraught with abuse. It's one thing to have witnessed the crew in the days after Cait's death, but to look back upon it now with this extra detail is something else entirely. One wonders whether John and Kyra are the only ones who know.
I'm so thankful that we have seen (or rather heard of through Ariel) Cait since. My mind starts to drift off into all the hurt suffered, by Cait, by John, by Ariel and I have to put a reign on it almost immediately. You have left such scope for the imagination to run wild, to dip and swim within what might be felt and thought and it is a measure of your talent as a creator of suspense and interest.
Tom too, though he is as you wrote once a hard man, have much difficulty dealing with the fact that men under his command were the cause of Cait's rape and death. One might imagine a great well of guilt in spite of his role in their escape. As said, the words spoken seem to suggest not only that The Hood are aware that Tom is not being completely truthful, but also that Tom is aware that they know and thus perhaps at this moment in time he is uncaring about his own hide due to the events that transpired.
Whatever the case, one thing above all is undeniable. This was a wonderful chapter, very well written, full of suggestion and suspense, a perfect chapter.
sometimes I wonder if History is colored by subjective perceptions.
I always prefer to read a multiple point of view there!
Mona, I spent the better part of ten years of my life studying history. It is all subjective. All of it. Nothing is bias free. The best we can do is read it all, and even then the picture is still incomplete. I've since decided I prefer fiction to history. Fiction is more true. :-D
Thank you Sweetest. :-)
I agree :D. A hundred percent!
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