Buno canceled the races so the Earth team could mourn their loved ones. The break allowed time for General Ehsa to stand trial for his questionable plots. While found not responsible for the attack on Earth, Ehsa was exiled from Buno. The ban carried to any inhabitant of the planet Irazor. There was no evidence of his involvement although he was the commander of their army; the general was on Buno at the time of the attacks. There were arguments he called for the siege yet the rest of his army took full responsibility of taking action without his say so. The Earth team didn’t buy their explanation, but they had no say so in the judgment. The restriction of every Qees made them feel somewhat better; none would present a menace to anyone on Buno anymore.
A month passed since the attack, and the earthlings saw the radiation was still too strong for a signal. It didn’t prevent them from attempting, day in and day out, particularly Lindsay. The woman slightly hung over Yoji and Malik while they sought many configurations to operate the satellite.
“Sorry, Lizzie,” Yoji huffed, rubbing his weary eyes. “It’s still not budging an inch.” he explained. Lindsay nodded and sank into a seat. Malik threw an arm around her shoulder and she squeezed it.
“All of that radiation… it’s starting to spread to the unaffected areas. There’s no telling how many will survive…” the thought disturbed him. Lindsay shook her head and looked at him.
“Fuck. I’ve been acting so selfish! I’m not the only one who could’ve… lost people…” she choked up. Lindsay considered the other members and their own families. Bradley’s girlfriend, Malik’s daughter, David’s family: all eight members stayed in mourning. The artillery specialist had no right to think of only her losses.
“Stop it. You’re not being selfish. You want everyone alive, that’s all. Nothing wrong with that.” Yoji nodded at her. Bradley approached the group and took a seat next to Lindsay.
“Nothing still?”
“Nope…” Malik sighed. The man gave Lindsay a small smile. “If anything, we owe you the apology.”
“What? Why?”
“We… we were too shocked to stop you from attacking Ehsa. He… could’ve killed you…” Yoji said meekly. Lindsay gave him an astonished stare.
“I… what…?!” she asked. Bradley furrowed his brow at her.
“You don’t remember…?”
“… No. I… blanked out…”
“Holy hell, are you kidding me?! If Ehsa was human… he would’ve been dead!” Malik widened his eyes. Lindsay stared at him for a while before turning her attention to her hands. She finally got the explanation of where her bruises came from. Lindsay was glad they were disappearing.
“I attacked him… and I’m still alive…?”
“That fucker didn’t have the balls to kill you in front of everyone. Not with the Esperians there…” Bradley recalled. The man was deeply grateful that Areiv stepped in when he did. The scene further proved Bradley's assumption that the Esperians ruled the galaxy; Ehsa ignored the Baron but when the Royal Magistrate threatened him, the giant backed away.
“Let’s talk about something else? Do you think we’ll be able to play catchup in the races?” Yoji looked at everyone.
“I dunno. We’d have to place first in every race from here on out…” Lindsay answered listlessly. The woman didn’t look at anyone; her mind wandered what possessed her to attack someone three times the size of herself. Lindsay felt she had every reason; the general engaged in the mass slaughter of her home world. No wonder everyone walked on eggshells around her!
“Hey, guys; we got some great news!” Steve’s voice echoed throughout the bay. The group turned, and their eyes widened at the sight before them.
“M-Mr. President!” Lindsay was the first to jump from her seat. The woman wrapped him in a tight hug, taking the two Secret Service agents and everyone else off guard. President Abraham let out a short laugh and returned the embrace. The laugh made Lindsay realize who she was clutching and released him. The artillery specialist's whole body burned with embarrassment. “S-Sir! I’m so sorry…”
“It’s fine! It’s great to see you, too!” he smiled at her.
“But, sir… all that radiation… how…” Malik was about to ask before the president held his hand up.
“I’ll be more than happy to explain. Yes, there is a high volume of radiation scattered over the entire globe but… there are quite a few survivors. Many places were hit and miss, a few places were unaffected and… a few that were wiped out.” he finished somberly.
“Do you… have any word about any of our families, sir?” David stepped up and asked for the team. The president glanced at their eager eyes, a blend of emotions flooding himself.
“Yes… I do. Some of your family members survived and are in safe spots away from most of the radiation. It's spreading so safe spots are becoming far and between. We will talk to the Esperians and the ruler of Buno about housing arrangements. David: your wife and children are safe; California was mostly unaffected. That means that your mother is fine, Yoji,” Abraham looked at David and Yoji. The two sighed out in relief. “Malik, I’m sorry: we could only track your daughter down. She’s actually here, now.”
“W-What…” Malik had a jumble of emotions coursing through him. Lindsay noted that the president avoided her glance and tears fell as she covered her mouth.
“I’m… I’m so sorry, Lindsay. Arizona was completely leveled…” he finally looked at her, compassion showing in his own brown eyes. Bradley embraced her.
“I’m sorry, Liz…” he whispered, a swell caught in his own throat.
“But, one of the last reports I received was about your parents… and your brother. Luck was on his side: he and his wife were visiting your parents. All four are safe…” Abraham gave her a small smile. Lindsay choked out a sob but wiped at her eyes.
“Wait, w-what? Will and Val… t-they’re fine…?”
“Yes. Unfortunately,” he directed his gaze on the remaining members. “The status of everyone else’s whereabouts is up in the air. Some states still aren't accounted for after all this time, which leads me to believe the radiation was too high in those areas. We’ve been hopeful this entire time. The few troops we have are being deployed to search for survivors all over the world, assess the damage and what have you. I’m hoping that the Royal Magistrate and the Bunodic ruler will take in refugees. The Earth team’s family members are our first priority; they should be on their way here as I speak.”
“So… Buno is our home, now?” Steve asked. Abraham nodded.
“At least until we can declare Earth as livable. I won’t lie; with the radiation spreading as fast as it is, I’m doubtful. We’ll keep our ears open, however. Any other survivors we discover after this first flight will be brought here, eventually.”
ns 18.68.41.146da2
