Lucien "Luc" Enjolras

[Auro Syrdash]

The Harbor
City of Eamonn, Island of Ebrahim
Continent of Sagittarius
Independent World of New Earth
1800 December 24th, 3060

On Christmas Eve, Luc watched the sun sink against the western horizen and recalled the events that had led him back to Eamonn. On the evening of December 23, Luc had spoken with with Luzia Nagel over a secure net connection and arranged extraction of Ethan Gammell, who was about to be set upon by the Pathfinders. She had informed him that this made them even, and repeated her favorite threat about the world of trouble he would find himself in if he ever hurt Kimiko Tetsuhara Death. He had established a solid, if somewhat stormy friendship with the caustic woman.

He thought back to the last conversation he had with her in person. She had hinted that a powerful ally would assist New Earth in the event of another Lyran invasion. Regardless of how unlikely it was that she would divulge any more information than this, Luc had, as always, tried his best.

"Who else can New Earth count on for defense?" he had asked her.

"A powerful ally," Luzia had replied. "The Lyrans are not the only power in the region."

"Certainly not," Luc had responded. "However, you have given me the impression that New Earth intends to avoid making Faustian pacts from here on out."

"Let's just say that if the Lyrans think that the first invasion was bad, just see what happens should they return," she had said, adding, "That goes for others also, not just the Lyrans."

"Understood." he had said. "But if a power is generous enough to let New Earth remain independent, what is the price?"

"Price and allow? You speak as if our independence is a matter of question. My friend Luc, when Katherine Steiner Davion murdered her mother, our independence became a forgone conclusion. The price was paid in the blood of Melissa Steiner Davion. The rest is more failing to accept reality on the part of the Lyrans. Look around, Luc. Feel the energy around you. That is nationalism and pride that these people have earned. Do you really think they will be subjected again?" Luzia had asked.

"It does a soul good to witness such pride. It is the energy of a people who will not be slaves again," Luc had agreed.

With a nod, she had said, "Nationalism is a powerful thing that can sweep a person up like a great current and move even the unimaginable. What I have seen here during the past ten years is the growth of nationalism. This didn't happen overnight. It built upon hard fought victories against the Clans, the Combine, and now the Lyrans. I warned Central that an invasion would be the worst possible move the Alliance could make. If they failed, New Earth would never return. If they would have just waited out the movement then there would be a chance. Now a movement has been transformed into a full-blown revolution that now threatens other worlds. This mess is something that Tharkad created due to its own arrogance,"

Luc had nodded, his eyes sad and distant, "The Lyran Alliance must experience a revolution from within. New Earth will act as a barricade to stand up to the corruption that has led us to dishonor."

Luzia had given a slight nod to convey her understanding and agreement. "Now if you could just take this up the chain of command and tell Central," she agreed. "However, you won't be the first to try."

"Is that what happened to our missing operatives?" Luc had asked.

She had laughed. "Is that what you were told? Missing operatives? You act as if New Earth was incapable of locating and capturing them. Trust me, those 'missing' operatives were dealt with. These people are not completely helpless." He couldn't tell which, but Luc detected reticence or deception in Luzia's voice.

He had smiled, "I'm more aware of that day by day," Luc had answered truthfully.

Presently, Luc had tasked Ethan with investigating the Summerhaven bombing. Although he had called off the raid on the New Earth Advanced Technologies facility on Pisces, Luc had ordered Viktoria Model and Angela Witherspoon to remain undercover to investigate ComStar's presence there. He had brought Amelia with him to Sagittarius to assist in reaching Kimiko. Although Luc hadn't told her, Amelia was also with him he had genuine concerns about her mental stability. Besides claiming to have seen an apparition just before the Summerhaven bombing, something was just off about her…