The Stars Ablaze Deleted Scene: Extended Epilogue, Part 2
Welcome to part 2 of “scenes I had to cut from The Stars Ablaze!” This week we see what Kerelle’s been doing in those six months between the end of Chapter 30 and the start of the epilogue.
This scene would have taken place immediately following the scene in Part 1 of the extended epilogue. Naturally, this excerpt contains spoilers for the ending of The Stars Ablaze.
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Four months after the Battle of Amaecea
“It’s a consulting position,” Lilika was saying. “You’d be a civilian contractor leading the training program to teach mundane and psionic soldiers how to work together. It could be official military - Haskrai offered you the rank of Colonel, actually - but I told him I suspected you would decline.” She met Kerelle’s eyes. “Naturally his offer is on the table, if I was wrong about that.”
“No,” Kerelle said slowly, “You weren’t.” She turned it over in her mind; it was a generous offer, she knew that, but the thought of resuming full-time military service made her stomach twist. Even if it was for a better cause this time. “Unless we’re attacked again, my time on the battlefield is over.”
The biggest surprise from her time asleep was that Lilika had successfully wrung psionic protections out of the CIG, at least on Amaecea. A close second, however, was learning that the Psionic Union had ceased to exist. Or rather, it had merged with the Amaecean government.
Understandably, Haskrai and his advisors had been reluctant to cede the new arrivals a wholly separate government for their people alone; if they were staying on Amaecea, they needed to commit to it. Lilika now held one of the top posts in Haskrai’s administration, and made no secret of her goal to integrate more psionics into local affairs.
Which was exactly what Lilika was asking her to help do. Not everyone shared Kerelle’s aversion; a significant number of former PsiCorp had volunteered for service in the Amaecean defense force. A force that was, at present, not terribly prepared to handle them. Aside from the drills she’d been able to run in the leadup to the CIG hearing, the Amaecean military had no experience working alongside psionics.
“I’m not asking you to go back into combat,” Lilika explained quietly. “Stars willing, none of our troops will see combat. But what we do here now will set the tone for the generations that come after us. I trust you in this, to help build a future Defense Force where psionics are equal members of a team, rather than exotic curiosities.”
She sighed slightly. “And there is a less pleasant, more practical reason as well. Amaecea is not a large colony, and while recent events have given us an outsize influence they have also demonstrated how fragile that influence can be.” She met Kerelle’s eyes. “We now have legal protections conferred by the CIG and recognized, however reluctantly, by all its members. But headlines fade, attention shifts, and what will actually keep us safe in the coming years is for Amaecea to be well-defended enough that it is considered too costly to assault.”
“You think we’ll be attacked again?”
“Perhaps nothing so alarmist - perhaps more that we may be tested a bit. I think the multigalactics are very unused to being told ‘no,’ and there may come a time when we need to show them our teeth to remind them that we mean it. And if our teeth look sharp enough, we may never need to use them.” Her expression softened. “It doesn’t have to be forever, Kerelle, and it doesn’t have to be you. But no one else has your stature, among the Amaeceans or our people. You have the influence to make real change.”
An uncharacteristic hesitation, and she added: “I am making this offer as the Minister of Psionic Affairs. But I’m asking you as a friend. Help me start this off right, Kerelle. It’s not something I can do alone.”
Kerelle leaned back, weighing what she’d said. Her first instinct had been to refuse, but Lilika’s reasoning made sense. The whole “war hero” thing aside, Kerelle had more experience working alongside the Security Force than nearly any other psionic on Amaecea, tactical and otherwise. Almost against her better judgement, a half-dozen ideas were already springing into her head on how to integrate her psionics into the Defense Force so that they would be peers, not outsiders.
And then there was the matter of Lilika’s request. If she really needed Kerelle’s help - needed it enough to admit she needed it - then Kerelle could hardly refuse.
It was, after all, what friends were for.
“My telekinetics are still weak,” she answered finally, “but I can teach tactics without them. Once I’m fully recovered I can be available for practical demonstrations. In the meantime we can work on unit structure and cohesion.”
“I don’t want a second career as a military consultant,” Kerelle added firmly, “but I can help do the groundwork for a unified Defense Force.”
Lilika’s smile was genuine. “Then I’ll have your first class assembled. The position is yours as long as you want it.”