Operation Darkness: Forbidden
by Majick

I'd been lying to myself. For months, to be honest. But, specifically, I'd
been lying to myself tonight.

I'd told myself I was just out for a walk. A breath of fresh air. A look at
the stars. All very plausible, as there's a reasonable chance that a Yuuzhan
Vong battle force will drop into orbit at any moment, and start pounding on
our near defenceless planet.

It's a case of enjoy it while you can. I don't much know what the other
members of Terra Group are doing but I, Mike the mechanic, I'm just out for
a walk.

That's the bit I'm lying to myself about.

It's actually been a fairly random walk. I've meandered about the palace and
the grounds for the last couple of hours. It's almost been relaxing.

Apart from the whole imminent-fiery-death thing in the back of my mind.

Anyway, this random walk thing has led me up onto the parapets, up a set of
stairs, and onto a small look out point.

I first came here the night we thought Alison had died. The first time, that
is. Project Boussh had finished, and I found this qiet little spot to
commune with the stars. I didn't know her very well, but I hadn't known
anyone too well who'd died. And she'd been on my team while storming the
castle a few days before, so...

Later, I got into the habit of coming here when I wanted a little time
alone. It's secluded, it's private, and it's one of the few places where a
man have have a quiet smoke without one of the anti-tobacco brigade giving
him disapproving looks.

When the seemingly inevitable occured, and Noreh S'ytsirk and myself started
dating, I brought her up here for our first date. It's secluded, it's
private, it's romantic, the door locks from our side...

Of course, things didn't work out between us. It was kinda messy, and I
didn't take it too well.

And then she married Egro Fenyajul.

That came as a bit of a shock, I don't mind saying...

I've been lying to myself all night. I haven't been out for a walk. I've
been on my way here. I've been delaying it, but I'm here. And part of me
knew she'd be here. And here she is. As I stand in the doorway, I drink in
her every detail, remembering what had gone before.

She'd said I was trying to smother her. Noreh has always been one to live
life on her own terms, going back to her time in High School where she
ditched her fiance to join the RMAF. When our relationship started getting
serious, I put forward the idea that one of us resign from active duty,
someday. We were talking about having kids one day, for heaven's sake. It
made sense. I suggested she resign, just to see how she'd react.

She erupted, and walked out.

A week later, she came back, having been off to visit friends. We lasted
through three hours of strained conversation, and then she left again.

Three weeks later, she married Egro, her wingman and my occasional DJing
partner, in a low key civil ceremony. The first I heard of it was his
announcing in an interview that he was stepping down from active duty, and
that Grace One, having been Thayer, then Reth, then himself, would now be
his new bride.

She clearly had everything she'd ever wanted. I wished them well.

And if you believe that...

Drinking, smoking, general anti-socialness... I wasn't a very nice person
over the next month. Sci eventually posted me to Luna Base. Anything to get
me away from my problems.

And here they all were. Standing in front of me. I came to terms with it all
on Luna. I was genuinely happy for the two of them. I was ready to start
over. So I thought, anyway. I was lying to myself.

So when I heard someone say she'd gone up to the lookout tower, and then ran
into Egro, who asked me where she was...

That's when I started lying to myself even more.

Noreh turns to me, and puts out her hand. I take it, and she pulls it away.
But she's left something behind. The starlight picks out the simple wedding
ring in my hand. She looks at me nervously, her bare hands clutched in front
of her.

In a move I practised regularly, a lifetime ago, I step onto the lookout
point and let the door swing shut behind me. Without even looking, I slide
the bolt home, locking us away from the troubled world below, and little
distractions like irate superiors, and worried husbands.

We flow into each other's arms. As our lips meet, the ring slips from my
fingers and falls through the air, bouncing against the cliff face before it
drops, forever lost, into the turbulent sea below.