Lights

It was so full of life, yet so far away; to her eyes, even through the lens it was nothing more than a narrow web of string-like shapes back-lit by the distant shape of Jupiter. Yet she knew there was much more to it than that; all along that string, over 100 warships belonging to the Federal Alliance of Earth Nations was preparing for the inevitable.

Just 23 hours and 50 minutes ago, the government of the United Colonies of Terra had issued a warning to all Alliance forces still within their territory; withdraw by Midnight at Australian Eastern Standard Time, or be treated as an invading force. All federal forces within the seceding territories had withdrawn, save for the space fleet at the Jupiter Shipyards. The United Colonies lay claim to it, as it was now separated from Earth by the rebellious Eden Colonies on the surface of Mars.

The Alliance refused to acknowledge that claim.

Her immersion in the moment was broken by a loud, exaggerated sigh coming from behind.

“Deandra,” an annoyed voice said. “It’s not going to happen.”

Deandra Nho stepped back from her telescope with a pout.

“You promised to come with me for this, Abbie.”

Abigail Retten, arms crossed, cocked one eyebrow. They were surrounded by plush and green grass, tall oak trees, and the light of a bright moon overhead. Beyond the moonlight was the 30 centimeters of tempered glass reinforced by an electromagnetic shield to keep out the harsh vacuum of the Martian surface.

“Don’t remind me of past mistakes,” she snipped.

“You’re free to leave.”

“And leave you here all alone?” Abigail asked.

“It’s not far to my grandmother’s house from here, I can walk-”

“-and get murdered halfway there, you damn fool. I’m staying put, but I stand by what I said; it’s not going to happen.”

Deandra ignored her and put her eye back to the telescope, fixed on the narrow string shape bustling with life millions of miles away.

“Who says?” she asked. “You heard the announcement, just like I did.”

“And you know the Colonies would be stupid to risk open war. We voted for secession, not pointless violence.”

“Some of us don’t know what we voted for, Abigail.”

Abbie fell silent, then let her arms drop.

“Have you talked to Monica today?”

Deandra’s silence was her answer.

“Did she at least listen to you?”

“She listened, all right, but none of it went through.”

Deandra looked up from the telescope.

“Insisted she had to go, because she was bound by her word to protect the Alliance. That duty came before all else, even the two of us. That-”

Deandra’s fists clenched around the telescope.

“-she had no choice.”

Abbie walked up behind Deandra and placed an arm around her shoulders.

“I’m sorry, I know you care about her.”

“You know what I’ll have to live with if a war breaks out?” her friend asked. “The last conversation I ever had with her was an argument. My last words to her were ‘if the Alliance means that much to you, then you better get out of the Colonies’ and-”

Deandra stifled a sob.

“I didn’t even tell her I love her. All I can do is stand out here with my best friend and this stupid telescope that doesn’t even go as far as the package promised, and watch some stupid shipyard to see if the Alliance Fleet is going to withdraw at the last minute.”

“I-” Abbie hesitated. “I’m sorry, I need to be more considerate.”

“No, you’re fine. I wouldn’t have asked you to come with me if I didn’t think you wouldn’t say the things I needed to hear. So, please-”

Deandra wiped at her eyes.

“Tell me again how things are going to be fine.”

“Maybe you need to stop looking through that thing for a second- come over here, let’s sit down a bit and catch our breath.”

Deandra nodded.

“Yeah, I could use that.”

Abbie took Deandra’s hand and let her away from the telescope.

“There was some big fuss in the main dome today,” the sniffling woman said. “Some major diplomat defected from the Alliance and made it off-world.”

“Oh right, I heard about that- Silas something.”

“Beaufort.”

“Beaufort as in Sarah Beaufort?”

Deandra nodded.

“Must be nice knowing you’ve got a hero’s welcome waiting for you,” she said.

Abbie helped Deandra onto the rear tailgate of the block-shaped truck sitting dark and idle by their chosen observation spot.

“What about you, Abbie?”

“What about me?” Abbie asked, unsure where this was going.

“Aren’t you worried about your family back on Earth?”

Abbie shrugged.

“I’m up here and they’re over there for a reason, Dee. You know that.”

“They’re still your family.”

“So people say.”

Deandra shot Abbie a look, and Abbie sighed.

“I do wonder what’s going to happen to them if war breaks out. They’re back in Shanghai, and there’s no doubt that the Colonials will hit it, but what can I do? Even if I were to reach out, to tell them to leave town before war comes, would they even listen to me?”

“You never know unless you try, Abbie.”

“Then what’s stopping you from doing the same with Monica?”

Deandra was silent, the tables suddenly turned.

“Exactly what’s stopping you,” she admitted.

Abbie glanced down at her wrist; her watch lit up.

“Show Australian Eastern Time,” she spoke.

The watch suddenly read 11:55 PM.

“Five minutes until the deadline.”

“I wonder if the fleet’s moved?” Deandra asked. “I should-”

Abbie stopped her as she went to stand up.

“No, you don’t need to stargaze anymore tonight. I’ll go look and tell you if I see anything.”

Deandra hesitated, then nodded. Abbie walked back over to the telescope, looked down through the eyepiece, and saw the breathtaking sight that her friend had been hogging all night.

“Wow,” she said, eyes taking in the stars and the distant form of Jupiter. “This view alone is worth waiting out in this damn field all night.”

“Abbie?” Deandra asked. “Do you see anything?”

“Hold on a sec-”

The string shape, still distant, came into focus. Abbie’s eyes caught faint dots sticking close to the thin shape, immobile and waiting.

“Haven’t budged,” she said, looking up at Deandra. “Don’t think they will.”

Deandra stood up from the truck and slowly walked over.

“There’s still a chance,” she said. “The government could back down, both sides could still be willing for peace. Maybe negotiations could-”

Abbie’s watch beeped once: midnight, on the dot. Deandra clasped her hands together.

“Oh no,” she said. “Oh shit-”

“Relax,” Abbie urged. “I’ve got this-”

Deandra wrung her hands together as Abbie peered back through the telescope.

The string shape was exactly as it appeared before.

“All quiet on the western front,” she said. “Not a thing-”

A sudden, brief event; a flash of light.

“Hold on-”

Then another, just as fast.

“What is it?” Deandra asked.

“I don’t know, it was brief; might just be-”

Two more, rapid succession.

“There it is again-”

“What are you seeing?” Deandra asked.

“Lights, some kind of flashing, but I can’t-”

Faint pinpricks of light welled up along the string shape over Jupiter, flickering bright enough to be caught by the telescope. Smaller, quicker flashes of light enveloped the space around the shipyard. When two faded, three more appeared. Abbie let out a gasp as she realized what was going on.

“Those aren’t just light, Dee; they’re explosions.”

Deandra’s hands clasped to her face as she ran back to the truck and opened the driver side door. She pressed the activation button and the truck thrummed to life, then quickly adjusted the tuning knobs of the radio until she found 500 MFM.

The public station of the Colonial Military.

“-sudden breaking news out of Eden Central tonight,” the broadcaster said. “We’ve just received official confirmation from the President’s office that the Sixth Orbital Carrier Fleet has engaged Federal vessels at the Jupiter Shipyards. This comes a mere three minutes after the expiration of the deadline for withdrawal. An official statement is expected to follow shortly, along with an official Declaration of War being presented to the Senate-”

Deandra’s eyes welled up and she collapsed to her knees, body heaving as she sobbed.

Abbie, shocked, finally pried herself away from the telescope and looked up at the stars with nothing but her own two eyes. After seconds of stillness, she merely shook her head.

“No going back now.”