Punch 64

Claire Heilig was up on a pedestal. On top of the pedestal was a broad empty desk, and behind her, the ISN logo. She was anchoring the news. She had come up in the world.

Heilig’s face was larger than life in Whitestar 97’s viewing room. Firuun stood and watched alone.

Behind Heilig, footage of a burning city replaced the ISN logo.

“Our top story today, the latest on the recent Robot War on the outer rim. The planet Kolu is in negotiations to join the Interstellar Alliance. Kolu’s neighbor Desnara, scene of the most devastation, is at odds with the Alliance. For more, we turn to our correspondent on the ground, Kim Lee. Kim?”

Kim appeared on the screen in front of a ruined building, looking well scrubbed but shaken. “Thank you, Claire. The Desnaran leader, Lehba, will not appear in public, but today his second in command, Rilo, gave a speech in which he blamed his own people for the war, saying Desnara got itself into this mess by being too lazy to do their own work, and from now on, Desnarans would do for themselves. They won’t accept help from the Alliance and they won’t rely on robots again. The work of rebuilding Desnara will be for Desnarans alone.”

“Quite a statement. How is it there, Kim?”

“Most of the fires are out now, Claire. Crews have located and shut off the fuel lines from the underground robot city that ruptured and caught fire during the fighting. It took them a while to find the lines and figure out how to turn them off, since no living being on Desnara had ever seen them. There continues to be a lot of unrest here, with groups and individual Desnarans fighting each other for status in their society. It’s a horrible thing to see, Claire. Squads of former soldiers sweep down the streets raping anything in their path. The government won’t put a stop to it because they don’t consider it a crime. There’s no word for rape in the Desnaran language, it’s never been illegal and they don’t consider it immoral. To them it’s as normal a social interaction as shaking hands.”

“That’s shocking, Kim. Do you think that might be what’s behind the strong statement from President Sheridan’s office, stating that Lehba is a war criminal and the Alliance would not respond to him even if he did appeal for humanitarian aid?”

“That, and the evidence of the use of biological weapons here, Claire. My cameraman and I had to be inoculated for smallpox before we could land on Desnara.”

“Is there any chance that—“

Kim looked to the side, “Claire, we’ve got to go. A rape squad is coming.” The image tilted to the side as the cameraman tucked his camera to his side to carry it, and the signal went out.

“Kim? Viewers, we’ll get back with Kim later. Our hopes go with her and her cameraman. In a related story, the Anla’shok has reported the death of Captain Punch in the Robot War.”

Behind Heilig, an old file photo of Carla as a young Marine popped up. “Carla Punch served in the Earth-Minbari war and then became active in the peace movement before eventually joining the Rangers.”

The view changed to the Itma, its decks lined with Dalshon. Their singing came faintly through underneath Heilig’s narration. “Her funeral was held today aboard the same oceangoing ship where she was married earlier this year. Her husband and crew could not attend because Captain Punch’s Whitestar is quarantined due to the biological warfare attack that killed her. Also notably absent is her body. Minbari who attended her funeral speculate that the body may have been too contaminated to bring home.”

The screen behind Heilig changed to a black-bar version of a security camera recording, with the operative parts hidden. Pastel mist swirled in the background, outside the window. Firuun felt like he had been stabbed in the heart. It was him and Carla on Rulomo.

“Later this evening, exclusive footage ISN has acquired from Mars police, who released documentary clips from the millionaire Bob Vauxhall porn bust, from a vid titled Rape on Rulomo, allegedly showing the future Captain Punch being attacked by the future alyt Teshar, whom she is reputed to have lured to his death twenty years later by marrying his brother, thus gaining the access that allowed her to hunt him down and kill him. Revenge, as they say, is a dish best served cold. This made her a hero to a lot of humans, and oddly, to the Minbari as well.”

“Damn reporters!” Firuun tried to yell but it came out a choked whisper, and he wept.

“But first, a word from our—oh, I’ve just been handed breaking news. The infamous Psi Corps secret police, the Psi Cops, have been caught banding together yet again, despite all of Earthgov’s efforts to disband them, and full cooperation from the governments of the independent colonies. Ah, I believe we have some vid now.”

The screen behind Heilig changed to an image of Alfred Bester being led away in handcuffs.

“An anonymous tip led Proxima 3 police to a warehouse full of the illegal hallucinogen loritril, known by its street name Dream. Six former Psi Cops were arrested on charges of dealing and money laundering. More on this story when we return.”

ISN went to a commercial.

Firuun shut off the projection. He stood in the dark, alone in the viewing room, and cried until his head ached.

Then he heard a voice in his mind. It wasn’t Carla’s voice. It was Nelonn. “Come home, clan chief. I’ll help you.”

Firuun dried his eyes. Yes, his clan would help him, all of them, telepaths or not. But he would miss Carla until the day he died. He would never marry again. Families were for other people, people like Sheridan, with a wife and son. Firuun had a clan. That would have to be enough.

The End