Testament: For the common good

                       Mars , New Paris, July 23^rd 09.00 S.E.T.

 A cold, pale green sun, arose in a salmon sky, to shine its sickly light upon the frosted domes that coved one third of the impact crater known as Utopia Planitia. Despite its weak glow, It was enough light to maintain and  power  this, one of the largest settlement on Mars: New Paris. Whose citizens were slowly waking up to an increased level of anxiety.
​       Manuel Rodriguez, executive officer to the first minister of the interior, and liaison executive to the president of Mars arose from his double divan bed. He ran a hand though his coal coloured hair and scratched the stubble on his pointed chin. As he rose, he moved to the left and put his feet upon the white marble floor. His toes twitched with the cold. Again he looked around at this his plush ten room apartment with a sense of bemusement, Before rising and pacing to the  window that looked out upon this new dawn.
​       To fight off the ongoing battles, his mind recalled last night’s call from his wife Rhiannon and their son  Saul  at Gale base.
​       ‘-When will you be home pa?’
​        ‘-Soon son,’ a smile ‘ I Promise.’
​         ‘-You better be.’  came Rhainnon’s reply followed by a naughty wink a stirring rose in his groin. He looked around him, though the room is plush, there is nowhere quite like home. he mused
​          Despite his wants, and his needs, this was where he was, in the presidential building, heading up one the of the most challenging governments in Marisian history; a government that had attained office, under the reforming pledge, to support the common people over the Terran  empire and the Sloat Amalgamation  To start with Rodriguez  found himself, first on the campaign trail towards greater support for the rights of the new colonists, then, as O’ Hara began to trust him,  a little more, he found himself rise up the ranks until he became the spokesman for the outlying colonies of the southern sphere. Now here… in this room…in these rooms…he was..,what was he? He shook his head.
​        The problem is Rodriguez mused, O’Hara might have the support of the average hard working Marisian; however, the O’ Hara’ government, didn’t have the support from  the Senate who, it has to be said, is  mostly made up of first world Terran’s;  or  those who  came here to make that fucker Sloat a fortune. It’s  this dissent that began the show in Terran command; and now with Kirkbride, Sloat’s puppet, in charge of the Terran council, things could only get worse.
​       ‘Good morning Manuel Rodriguez.  How can I be of assistance today?  The sexless voice, of the Marisian AI Cerviel, occasionally disarmed him. But not today.
​         ‘Wall screen on.’ He muttered, his unusually taut voice trembled.  He rubbed his wide lips; then ran his tongue under his top set of teeth
​         The wall to his left burst into life. In one corner were the latest rises and falls upon the Terran Federation/ Sloat Amalgamated share index. Mars was hitting a low and had been since the latest comments from Terran high command.  To the top right, ran continuous adverts: - everything from holo-forests to soda to holidays in the outer rim. The top left had a list of his emails and holo-calls, and the bottom left contained his diary for the day.
​       Cerviel  began to speak.‘You have a meeting with president O’Hara at 10:25, a lunch appointment with Vincent Galmini at 13.30,  a gym appointment at 17:10 and- ‘
​        ‘Enough.’ 
​         In the centre of the screen sat a blonde haired woman in a blue dress, silently mouthing comments while a picture of Mars was in the top right of the frame>
​           ‘Sound on.
​          ‘-and in the growing tension between Mars and Terra, President Kirkbride had this to say.’  The small image of Mars in the right hand corner filled the centre screen before changing to the face of President Kirkbride.
​          ‘-To the people of Mars, I have this to say, Terra is your friend, we are not coming with a means to conquer, but with freedom in our hearts.’
​          Rodriguez felt a slight vibration in his left palm. He lifted his hand to see  O’Hara staring at him.
​       ‘Have you heard that, that fucker Kirkbride this morning! Feck!’
​       ‘-I’m watching it now sir.’
​        ‘-That was sent two hours ago from Terran command. The fucker is coming here and he’s going to-
​       ‘-Calm down Mr. President, have you taken your alpha pill?’
​        ‘Get here! Get here as soon as you can!’  the line went dead
​          Rodriguez returned to the viewer, to see Kirkbride’s face fill the centre of the screen.
​       ‘Terra, is not your enemy' Kirkbride said warmly  'people of Mars, Terra is coming to aspire you to freedom. To make Mars great again.’
​        Jeus, what a scary mother fucker can’t anyone see though this guy?. He thought as he made his way to the sonic shower.  

​          Within half an hour Rodriqez was sitting five floors up in the pale green oval shaped office of presidential situation  room.  O’Hara , rounded face appeared more drawn of late. Rodriguez considered.  His cotton flower blue eyes seemed strained and barely visible under the dark heavy bags beneath them. His narrow mouth and thin lips were drawn to a single line under his narrow nose, giving what Rodriguez thought a rat like appearance.  Opposite him sat the pasty face , balding thick lipped  air-chief marshal commander Brent and  squared faced thick forehead of the volunteer land army general Terrannce Sthol
​        '-the trouble is…’ began Commander Brent, thickly ‘…we we are not in any position to negotiate. ‘
​          '-Who says I wanna feckin’ negotiate?’ O’Hara rehtorted. He stared at Brent coolly. ‘We came to office to support the poorest of Marisian’s  in getting a better deal from Terra, that, or independence. Why should I wanna make a deal with  Kirkbride or Sloat for that matter?’
​          Brent smiled weakly and pressed his hand palm down on the table. ‘We have to live in the real world, and the real world is in the hands of both Terra and  Sloat Amalgamated.’ Came his fruity reply.
​         ‘Ha.’  O’Hara snorted and looked away from Bent, his  eyes wide, his voice rich with disdain. ‘spoken like a true Terran. Why the the feck are you here?
​         Rodriguez looked down and coughed, while general Torrance Sthol then interjected
​        ‘Mr President, the volunteer  land  army is behind you...’ He gave Brent a savage smile ‘…even if air force command finds it hard to-'
​         ‘That is a gross exaggeration!’ snapped Brent.  
​          At that point Rodriguez pulled a small circular holo-player from his suit  pocket and threw it down upon the table. It slid and then stopped in front  of Brent; then  it  sparked into life. It showed Brent talking with a narrow faced man that O’Hara and Rodriguez knew as Mordecai Smith, the head of Sloat amalgamated on Mars.
​        The voice was clear and the intention noted by all in the room.
​         ‘-Yes, yes of course, you know I would nothing to prevent the Terran federation from re-establishing…’
​          ‘WHAT THE HOLY FUCK IS THIS!’ O’Hara bellowed. He stood up from his chair and glared at Brent.  Brent who was sitting opposite both of the glared with hostility at Rodriguez.
​        ‘That could have been framed!’
​        ‘Yes, it could.’ Replied Rodriguez  coolly, ‘ but it wasn’t.’ Rodriguez could feel the satisfaction rise up in him.
​       ‘You’re  the air chief marshal! I need you-‘
​         Suddenly an alarm went off.  O’Hara looked around him.  As Cerviel came into the room.
​        ‘The Terran fleet has jumped out of N-space and are preparing to- ‘
       Sthol’s wrist phone buzzed. He looked in dismay, ‘No… My gods…There are two two k-cobalt missiles heading down towards…’ Sthol gasped, his voice trembling. ‘My gods.’
​        ‘A nuclear detonation has occurred at Holden. Another at Gale. ‘Cerviel said without expression
​        Rodriguez stared at Brent.  A tear fell down his right eye.
​        ‘What have you done?’  O’Hara gasped as he  stared at Brent.  ‘ You, you let this happen….Why?’ His voice was tight his eyes drawn with shock.
​        ‘For the common good.’  Brent replied coldly
​        ‘The, the common good?  The, the, the, common good for whom?’
​         ‘FOR EVERYONE!’ Brent shook his head. ‘You don’t get it do you? Do you!  Do you honestly think that Terra or Sloat for that matter, would let Mars simply go its own way?  Do you really think, that they wouldn’t put up some,  some sort of fight to maintain  their, their rights, to their products and their fucking assets?
​        ‘My wife and child were at Gale.’  Rodriguez words were numb in his mouth
​         Brent looked down and avoided Rodriguez eye contact
​        ‘That’s the price in war.
​         ‘Fucker!
​          Rodriguez threw himself across the table and grabbed Brent by the collar. They wrestled before falling onto the floor. Brent gasped as Rodriguez had him by the throat.
​         ‘You think I'm gonna sit by an' let you do this? Let you and your fucking kind, take all that is sacred from me! I worked hard to give the people a voice. My family, they were all I had! And you sit there; with your pasty face and and your ugly drooling lips and go on about the common good and war? You want something to fight about! I’ll give you something to fight about! Fucking! Terran! Scum!
​         He lifted himself up and then punched Brent once in the face then again then again. Rodriguez could feel teeth give under his pain filled knuckle and heard the hard snap of Brent’s nose breaking; as his fingers clicked. Blood, rich and red spurted and spilt like hot tea from Brent’s leering mouth, and busted nose as Rodriguez hit him again and again with images of his wife and son rolling in his mind and tears falling down his face
​        He didn’t know how long he had hit the now broken body of Brent. He got up and absently wiped his fists on his jacket. His eyes wide with shock
​        ‘Before I am, am shut dow, dow, dow, down,may I I I advvvvizzise yoooo t, t, t to lllllleeeiiiaaavvve.’ Cerviel stuttered out in a staccato
        ‘Come on kid.’ O’Hara grabbed him by the collar, ‘I have a transport. We better get out of here as soon as possible.