Thursday, 25/09/2149
Raven came and woke me very early this morning, extremely happy. She proudly announced that she had completed work on the radio and surprised me with a newly built screen. As I struggled to rouse myself, I was met with the challenge of appeasing three groggy children, shuffling them through a rushed breakfast routine before I was ready to take the ark.
"Good morning, everyone," I greet the weary council members who appear on the screen, each looking worse for wear. Chancellor Jaha, however, seems to have woken up on the wrong side of the bed.
"Why did it take you ages to respond?" Jaha's cranky voice fills the room, barely giving me a chance to reply before Raven swoops in.
"It's barely been a day!" She exclaims, and I struggle to chuckle inwardly at Jaha's impatience.
"I crafted these from scratch, Sir, and as much as Orella sweetly requested, I wasn't about to lose sleep over it," Raven concludes her retort with a hint of condescension, causing me to stifle a laugh at Jaha's expense.
"Raven, perhaps you could excuse us for a moment," I suggest, turning away from the screen as a mischievous wink from Raven passes between us. Masking my amusement, I face the council once more.
"My apologies for her brashness. She's under a lot of pressure, much like the rest of us," I diplomatically address the council, hoping to diffuse the tension caused by Raven's boldness. Jaha grudgingly accepts the apology, though his frown remains firmly in place.
"Tell me about the ground, how is everyone fairing?" He questions.
"All is well, but there is something crucial I must say." I take a deep breath, bracing myself for their reaction, "We aren't alone. There are other survivors on Earth." The council falls into a stunned silence before erupting into a cacophony of voices.
"ENOUGH, there are other people alive, what are they like, have you gotten in contact with them?" Jaha's yells, and I hold my hand up, stopping Jaha as he tries to spam me with questions.
"One of our group, Finn, inadvertently crossed a boundary and paid the price. Though sightings of other individuals have been reported, we have had no direct contact. Wells is currently working on a potential treaty for when contact is established." Jaha nods, taking in my words.
"Sinclair has relayed a message about an imminent Category 5 cyclone heading your way. Preparations must be made," he warns, and I acknowledge the warning graciously.
"I was contemplating arranging a reunion between my people and their loved ones aboard the ark," I propose, subtly challenging Jaha's authority as he corrects my wording, emphasizing 'our people.' Ignoring the distinction.
"That's a good idea, I'll start arranging for that to happen," Kane says with a smile.
I'm about to respond to a member of the council when the privacy curtain Raven had set up around the radio suddenly opens. Lilly's concerned face peeks in, her eyes betraying her anxiety. The atmosphere in the room shifts, the tension growing thicker as her presence brought a sense of unease.
"Mum, quick, there's a fight, it's Murphy" I apologise to the council, but turn it off before rushing out of the dropship to where the fight is. On the floor, trying to fight three boys in Murphy, he's rolling around trying to pin a larger boy to the floor while the other two are being held back by Conner and Miller.
"ENOUGH, what's going on!" I bellow with a ferocity that sliced through the tense silence like a dagger. Everyone freezes in place, their eyes shifting uncomfortably, but no one dares to utter a word in response. "Someone answer me," I demand, the weight of my authority heavy in the air. The small crowd in the heart of camp stand there, statuesque and petrified, as though time itself has come to a halt in anticipation of their reply.
Lilly starts to say, "These boys were saying gross things about you, and when Murphy walked by and they started taunting him about being your 'little bitch' and I think one of them said something about Will but I'm not sure cause Murphy was already trying to fight them," Lilly reports matter-of-factly as if such confrontations are mundane occurrences.
"Miller, help me bring these three to the top level of the dropship. Murphy, follow me" I grab the boy who is on the floor with Murphy, dragging him with me as I lead the other two boys who are being held by Conner and Miller to top of the dropship.
We tie the three boys to the wall. "The three of you are going to stay here for three days, your water and food will be rationed, and you will be sleeping here with only a pillow and blanket. do you understand?"
"What about Murphy? he started the fight", one of the boys argues.
"I trust Murphy more than all three of you put together, however, he will be gutting everything we catch for the next three days, a job I know he hates" The boy quiets down, hearing Murphy being punished along with them.
"Miller and Conner will take shifts supervising you if you try to escape or do anything they think requests a longer sentence I will be supervising you and trust me I won't make it pleasant" I finish up and rejoin the video chat, only Jaha is still sitting waiting for me.
"Apologies for the interruption; a minor altercation required my attention," I explain, offering Jaha an apologetic smile.
"Major, may I speak with my son alone?" Jaha's tone is firm, cutting through the tension.
"Of course, let me go get him for you."
"Wells, your father wants to talk with you", I call out, the urgency evident in my voice as I search around. Suddenly, he emerges from his tent, clutching a handful of papers.
"Here is a draft of that treaty you wanted. I was going to go over it with my dad, but if you want it first," Wells offers a sense of duty in his eyes.
"You can talk it over with Jaha if you want. I have to have a talk about swearing with Lily". I joke, and he laughs.
"Have fun," Wells quips light-heartedly.
"You too," I return the jest, sharing a laugh before setting off to find Lily.