Omega (short story)
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- This article is about the short story. For other uses, see Omega.
Omega | |||
---|---|---|---|
Short story by Phaedra M. Weldon | |||
Publication | |||
Published | 20 March 2007 | ||
Publisher | BattleCorps | ||
Pages | 12 | ||
Chronology | |||
Era | Jihad era | ||
Timeline | 15 March 3068 — 17 March 3068 | ||
Series | |||
|
Omega is a short story by Phaedra M. Weldon that was first published online on BattleCorps on 20 March 2007 as the ninth and final installment in the Case White series. It was later republished in print in the fourth BattleCorps anthology, Fire for Effect, in 2013.
Together with its companion story Alpha by the same author it served as the opening and ending, respectively, of the Case White series of stories about Case White, ComStar's ill-fated attempt to reconquer Terra from the Word of Blake in 3068. (In Christian theology the greek letters Alpha and Omega, being the first and last letters of the alphabet, symbolize the concepts of Beginning and End.)
Contents
[edit]
“ | After four days of harsh fighting on Terra, the outcome is in the hands of one man. Precentor David Alsace has spent four hard days controlling TerraSec, keeping Terra out of the hands of the infidels. Four days of setbacks. Four days of a harsh truth: he failed. He has one last chance to end this fight and protect Terra—but is he willing to pay the cost? Either way, ComStar's invasion ends today... | ” |
Plot Summary[edit]
Anxious about the fate of his pregnant wife and young daughter, who were in France when enemy DropShips landed nearby, Precentor TerraSec David Alsace, the narrator, has brutally been defending Terra on the ground for four exhausting days. A private message from Azrael confirms the death of Alsace's family, then briefly discusses the situation in Estonia where the enemy has apparently secured a bridgehead with entrenched forces. Azrael returns from Estonia to meet Alsace in person and tells him of the atrocities committed by the Com Guard forces there, pushing for Alsace to authorize the use of nuclear weapons to burn out the entrenched enemy troops—along with the faithful Word of Blake troops engaging them, who cannot be warned or evacuated.
Alsace finally gives in to Azrael's urging and prodding. But when he asks Azrael why he had excluded himself from nuclear annihilation by leaving Estonia for the TerraSec command bunker, Azrael does not deign an answer.
Featured Characters[edit]
- Precentor TerraSec David Alsace
- Precentor Azrael
- Beth Alsace (mentioned)
- Treemonisha Alsace (mentioned)
- Precentor Manei Domini Apollyon (mentioned)
Featured Units[edit]
- Third Division Word of Blake Militia (mentioned)
- 394th ComGuards Division (mentioned)
- 166th ComGuards Division (mentioned)
Featured Places[edit]
Notes[edit]
- Although there is nothing in this story to suggest Azrael may have lied to Alsace in order to make him use the nuclear weapons, this may well be the case. Azrael's gory descriptions of the alleged ComStar atrocities seem fabricated, and other stories have made it quite clear that the Word of Blake — especially the Manei Domini—were easily prepared to commit atrocities and blame them on their enemies, including blaming the attackers for the use of nuclear weapons on Terra.