A Fire Will Rise

[Alley]

825 A.S - Battleship Normandie, Inner Liberty

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Alice gazed at the starmap display, witnessing the Gallic fleet movements in realtime.
"Mon dieu. It's happening." she whispered.

The blitz unfolded before their eyes, the New London system cleansed with fire inch by inch with the utmost care until only the planet itself was left.
Alice sat back in her chair, unable to take her eyes off the starmap for several minutes until Henri Lavalle came closer to her.

"We both knew what was going to happen. We may be far from home, but we're still Gallic. Vengeance is in our blood. Generations of brainwashing have made sure of that. This... is the direct consequence of it. No one could have stopped it." he said, wondering if Alice was listening at all as she did not seem to care for his words or pay any attention to him.

"Vengeance." she muttered, slowly bringing her gaze upon Henri. "Blood must have blood, isn't that right?" she said as she stood up and unholstered her sidearm. "Alice, calm down." "You dare to tell me to calm down?"

The ensigns took a step back as a small noise came out of Alice's gun. She had just removed the safety. Alice raised the weapon to Henri's forehead.
"I have been calm for twenty years when it comes to you." she said, her eyes filled with unimaginable fury.

"I have never, and I will never, forgive you or him, for what you did to mom. You both are directly responsible for her death and I can assure you Henri, I will never stop. Her blood runs through my veins and for as long as I live, I will continue her legacy as I have done since you and dad broke her. These people may not see who you truly are, but I do."

The princess paused a second, both of them locked in what felt like an endless stare before she raised her head and glanced at the worried crewmembers.

"You have all been loyal to me. Each of you stayed because you believe in this cause. A better Gallia. But have we accomplished anything? Our kingdom still burns, stuck in a black and white fight against itself. Famine is still prevalent. Citizens are still ignored. Our nobility still in their dreamy reality of opulence and lust, tucked away in the comfort of their private islands. You may crush a rebellion, perhaps long enough for people to forget it ever existed, but you can't kill an idea. They thought silencing the Normandie separatists would put an end to it. They thought breaking my mother would put an end to it. But an idea always make its comeback when you least expect it. That idea came back, again, as the Council, the Maquis... and us. They saw the Council and the Maquis coming, but not us."

Alice turned her attention towards Henri once more.
"I beg you Alice. Don't do it. This idea caused your mother's downfall. I promised her to keep you safe and I have been doing my best to uphold that promise."
The gun clicked once more, the princess putting it back in its holster shortly after.

"If you truly knew her, you would not have sabotaged my efforts on purpose." she interposed as she sat down in the command chair.
"My mother only got to see Gallia, but I've seen Sirius. There are new options available to accomplish our mission. This is our time."
"From the ashes, we will rise."

---

Alley was right.