Obey and die.

[Xing]

Every week ends or so, when her mother went away to California Minor City (the largest starport of the planet) for business, Isabelle would go out at some bar, and usually would meet a number of her friends. Having recently been abandonned by her boyfriend, she didn't had much to plan for the nights, and hence hoped from one drinking place to another, without actually seeking to drink anything than seeking other's company.

She found a bunch of girls and boys from her class, and waved in their direction, smiling.
"Hey guys!" She said, sitting next to them.
"Hi Isa" most of them were already too drunk to be aware of her presence even if it was barely even midnight yet on the planet. A strange thing on planet, probably due to it's rather shaky colonial setting, there were absolutely no limit for drinking age. Hence, the kids were taking alcohol entirely legally in a bar, at least.
But, as usualy, in a group there were a few lucid enough for some chatter. One of them, Sarah, smiled brightly at her as she sat up from her couch where she was lying with no embarassment. The girl was a good friend of her since their younger childhood.
"So, you be coming for the end of the year trip to Bretonia?"
Isabelle shook her head in an apologic way. The end of the year traveling activities were usually fun, but for once, her dad would be back that week, and she intended to be near him instead of being in some museum on planet Cambridge with the rest of the class.
"Dad is back exactly in that period of time. Can't go there or he'll escape me for another year!" She said jokingly, even though it wasn't that far from the truth. Despite a deep love and stronger relationship of father-daughter she shared with the man, Isabelle barely saw her father with all the military job requiring his attention everywhere but on California Minor.
"Beside, you know how I hate being trapped in those shuttles..."
Sarah nodded, compatising.
"I heard you hated to get in a small flight craft... can't imagine you trapped for hours in one of these box of steel until we reach Cambridge... too bad, huh"
"Yep." Isabelle ordered some light drink imported from Los Angel, and sipped from it. "Anyway, hope you do enjoy it! Heard there are some awesomeness on that planet, the xenoarcheologic museum sounds great."
They continued to talk about the incoming journey until very late in the night, until an exhausted manager came to shoo them away, the teenagers nearly all drunk. Isabelle smiled, looking outside at the stars. In a week, her friends would depart, and dad would be back.

--

Isabelle stood alone, watching the armored naval shuttle land on the starport with a wide smile, as she saw her father descending the access ramp. It was early in the morning, and her mother was on some business journey far away, somewhere in the borderworlds. Some contract with the Zoner requiring her presence for months.
They hugged tenderly as soon as her father cleared security, still in his well trimmed fleet command uniform.
"Hi Isa! How you've been my little sweetheart?" (when he said small, it was quite literal considering the man was a good 187cm height while her girl was closer to the 165cm height...)
"I've missed you! Why d'you have to be away for so long every time!" she said, complaining less or more seriously. It caused the elderly man to laugh, as he went with her toward the familial hovercar. Isabelle was proud to be one of the few girls who actually took the time to learn how to drive these vehicles, which could get very tedious with the strong storms of the planet, easily destablising such a light machine.
"You drive, or I..." The man smiled, as Isabelle nudge him away from the driver's door, and took place at the cockpit.
"I might be of the "new generation" but I still know how to respect my parents, dad! Just relax, I'll drive you home.."
Jhon patted the shoulder of her daughter, as he sat down on the comfortable rheinland-built DHI Republik hovercar,
"I'm proud of you, Isa. Je suis fiere de toi."
Isabelle smiled, kissed him gently,
"Et je t'aime, papa. Let's head back home, now! Made some change to the house you must come to see..."

--

"Ah, just like the good old time, eh?" Jhon said, as he sat down in front of a rather delicious looking meal. "I see you haven't forgotten how to cook!"
Isabelle came back with her own plate, a little dark ironic smirk on her lip. "That's because mom never noticed I needed to eat as well. Had to take care of myself after all."
Jhon sighed, slightly sadenned.
"She wasn't like that when we first met... I would so much prefered to have shown you to her in our younger days. Credits has transformed her..."
She shook her head, and took her fork in her hand, as she prepared to open the holoscreen television in their dining room.
"I think I would have prefered not knowing her. I wouldn't want to be remembered of a golden past that has become dark by the years..."
"yes, you must be right of course..." her father said, less or more convinced as they began to eat. The taste of the food immediately changed their mind. Isabelle opened the holoscreen, which started on the news channel.


A young elegant man appeared on the screen, seated behind a beautiful studio desk. Behind him, technicians in an equally hi-tech environment worked on hundreds of screen on a wall displaying footage of videos.

"This is Liberty Colonial News Network, LCNN, from Manhattan City. I am Rick Versery, for 60 Minutes Around the Sector."

A presentation music was played as previous news footage faded in, either serene such as diplomatic meetings, or explosive such as military videos of bretonian/kusari skirmishes. Finally, it faded away to reveal the footage of the videos today.

It showed a large passenger liner, it's engine going critical as it exploded. Swarms of fighter crafts flown by, destroying the escort ships of the large civilian vessel, as the newsman commented,

"Tonight, an unfortunate tragedy hapenned by the Magellan system, where the bretonian-libertonian liner Antioch was attacked by a squadron of the Lane Hacker criminal group, strongly suported by the dangerous Outcast drug dealing organisation."

The video continued, showing the slaughter from different perspective.


Isabelle watch with a slight disgust as Jhon sighed. "This always happens, now nearly everyday. Hopefully, most of the pirated liners get out alive, but something must be done about this incredibly increasing pirate population..."
Isabelle looked up at her father before talking,
"Why are there people so low that would rob civilians, slaughter them, only for profit, when they could easily have a normal life in our society... This is complete non-sense..."
Jhon shook slowly his head, "That's what happens when you have too many people: stupidity at it's best. There are people low on moral, without a lot of brain out there, who will listen to the 25% of the jackass leaders, and decide to go pirate. As if it was a way to live a life..."


"The casualities rise up to 600 confirmed death, among which engineers from bretonian based Planetform who were traveling back to Bretonia, representative of Interspace Commerce and a number of civilian passengers traveling to Cambridge."

The video footage stopped to show videos of LPI crafts on the scene, investigating and recuperating the few cargopods which weren't destroyed by the asteroids. Survivor were shown aboard rescue vessel, in shock, some of them crying openly.

"... up to now, we have only managed to find 68 survivors, out of the original 1400 passengers."


Isabelle gaped in horror, as Jhon watched her daughter, questioningly.
"What's wrong Isa? Recognised someone you knew in the lot of survivors?"


"Among the group of corpses recognised through DNA, we managed to identify Planetform regional director, mr. Kevin Waugh and his family, along with Interspace Commerce Financial manager, Remy Whitman. LPI also confirmed the discovery of a number of teenager bodies, believed to be the students from California Minor' Torrance High School, traveling to Cambridge, as well, the..."


Isabelle dropped her fork.
"Oh my..."

---