History is cost.
Ka Silangan, CPPRA member and officer of the PLAA, 2120
Memorial Park, Yan’an, Shaanxi, China, PRA, Earth, 05/04/2230, 0600 hours
“Thank you for agreeing to join me here.”
Flechette sits down silently. She hasn’t seen real sunlight since arriving in Yan’an. The park bench is warm from the sun.
“I am sorry about your mother.”
Flechette looks at her feet. Trying to see the city, bustling with life, so deep below.
“I know.”
The pair sit in silence for a while. Watching the clouds pass Yan’an.
Zhengming breaks the silence.
“I understand your hesitation. About joining the PLAA. If I were simply your friend, I would tell you that you should not.” Friend. Flechette keeps staring at the sky.
“Unfortunately, I am not simply your friend. I am also a revolutionary. And while, as a friend, I believe that you have been through too much, as a revolutionary, I understand that the cause has need of your strength.”
“Going back to the frontline may feel like going back to the person that you were. You must understand this, Flechette. You are different now. You are not in the same position you once were. With us, you will not be fighting for death. You will be fighting for life.”
Flechette looks at Zhengming. Imagines them saying this same thing to Tang — to Kailani.
“Zhengming…”
“You should think, hard, about where you want to dedicate your fight.”
Your fight. Flechette thinks about arriving here. The names and portraits on the wall.
She asks Zhengming a question.
“What actually happened? To the people who volunteered for the Egregore Reactor research?”
Ka Zhengming sighs. Runs a hand through their hair. Leans back, taking in the sky.
“It was the beginning of the war. Mid 2040s. Over a hundred and fifty years ago now. There was an energy crisis. The war effort was consuming too many resources. The UCF was too powerful. Their new weapons, the Egregore Engine, the rapid colonization of the Americas… We were using everything to just push the UCF back. People starved. Tens of thousands. Energy… Energy is connected to every part of production. It touches every part of life. We just didn’t have enough to keep up. 10,000x efficiency of carbon. I don’t know if you can really imagine what that meant for an era like that. It wasn’t a technology advancing. It was the birth of a new age.” Flechette stares intently at the glassy, sad look in Zhengming’s eyes.
“The Base needed to develop. There was a call put out for volunteers. For research. It was explicit. Volunteers likely will not survive the process. Volunteers will be making immense contributions towards furthering the cause. And everybody, at that time, knew the stakes. You could see it everywhere around you.”
“Flechette. You need to understand. Thousands volunteered their lives. Thousands. From all walks of life. From every corner of the People’s Republics of Asia. It was the People coming together to make a sacrifice — to pay in blood, for the chance of a brighter future — a gift for generations they would not live to see.”
“A hundred and fifty participants were selected. For their connections. For the potency of their love.”
Flechette gapes in horror at the revelation. For the potency of their love. So much to lose…
“Was it… Was it worth it?”
Zhengming closes their eyes. Saying a prayer, perhaps, if the revolution has such things.
They look at Flechette. Steeled, as always, to give the honest answer.
“They died and it was tragic. And, the PRA was able to develop the Affect Core — the AC-1. Inverting the Egregore Engine’s principle, a network of joining, rather than a reactor of severing. It would take years more for it to come online — the power of it scaling with its complexity and size. But one day, it reached critical mass. It came online. And it didn’t just save people. It saved the entire revolution. The revolution was saved by the conviction and sacrifice of a hundred and fifty citizens — comrades — who were willing to accept the cost of victory, in their own bodies. We called the network ‘The Line’. Hold the line. Keep it alive.”
Silence between the two of them. Zhengming allows a few tears to stream down their face.
“Do you know the history of Yan’an?” Flechette shakes her head.
“This was the base of the Communist Party after the Long March. The Long March… 10,000 kilometers. 100,000 people started the journey. 8,000 survived. Over 90,000 people died on that journey. 90,000. It was a tragedy unlike any other. The ultimate birth-trial for China.”
“And yet. Those 8,000 survivors kept the revolution alive. They didn’t just survive — they learned. They developed a method. Without it, there would have been no China as we know it, no PRA, no resistance against the Empire. It was their sacrifice that bought this future.”
Zhengming moves to stand. Stretches.
Flechette stares at her hands.
“Flechette, your grief is already yours. It belongs to you. You should think hard about which future you want to fuel with it.”
Zhengming turns to go. Flechette stops them with a call.
“I have a question.”
“Yes, Flechette.”
“The Affect Core Network — the Line… What does it run on?”
Ka Zhengming looks at her, sadly.
“It runs on hope. And it can only run so long as there is hope.”