Order of Magnitude

XXXIV: What Happens Next

     "I saw the whole thing with my own eyes. Our leader is dead. Attacked by the same parvs that he had worked so hard to keep the peace with. Cowardly murdered for believing in common decency. I know your initial reaction will be one of violence, but that would be a betrayal to all that he stood for. You must remember the ideals that we've prided ourselves on, and believe that there still exists good in this world... even though today it will be easy to forget that. There will be an appropriate response to this tragedy, make no mistake, but right now is not that time. Don't get swept up in any knee-jerk reactions. Today is one for mourning. Tomorrow, we move forward. That's what Petar would have wanted." Carlisle finished addressing the shocked community of the Lost, and walked back to his seat, wearing a mask of sadness for all the parvs who were applauding him.

      "If only Petar had been able to make it the rest of the trip," one of the council members shook his head. "We have a well-trained medical staff. We might have been able to save his life."

      "I blame myself," Carlisle said. "If only I could have done something more."

      "Petar's death was not your fault," someone else at the funeral said reassuringly. "Don't beat yourself up."

      "It just hurts so much."

      "You need to bury your feelings," the council member said. "Because we have an important announcement to make."

      Carlisle feigned shock. "An important announcement, you say. What could it be?"

      "You may not be aware of this, but Petar wanted to start grooming you to be his successor when you came home."

      "I hadn't the slightest clue," Carlisle lied.

      "Now, granted there will be a steep learning curve, but with the wise council guiding you as we did Petar, then I can't see how you could possibly fail."

      "I'm flattered. Really, I am. This is all so overwhelming."

      "I understand. If you'd like to say something to the members as their new leader, feel free to."

      "Hmm," Carlisle pretended to weigh his options. "I just spoke, I'm not sure the group wants to hear me talk again." The crowd roared out in protest. They wanted to hear some good news, no matter what. They were already in such a dour mood.

      "Come on," the council member said with a smile. "They want to hear from you."

      "At our leader's funeral; I don't know."

      "You have a point. Perhaps we should-"

      "Well if you insist," Carlisle got up and stood front and center for the Lost. He had practiced this speech for the entire ride back. Something to take his mind off of the man he had just murdered. "I'm not sure exactly how to take this," he began. "Petar was such a loving influence to all of us. I'm sure it goes without saying that he's going to be a hard act to follow."

      "Hear, hear," the councilman said as a counterpoint to the audience's applause. Carlisle graciously waited for them to finish. He had an important message to deliver and wanted their complete attention.

      "Petar believed that peace was the best way to go," he said. "And I respect that notion. Unfortunately there are those out there that do not. The ones who killed him, for instance. They explained what their goal was while they slaughtered us. They planned on starting a war with the humans. A war that would most certainly result in our extinction. Now, we all are aware that humans are completely dangerous to us on a good day. But imagine if they started seeking us out. Imagine if they hunted us down out of vengeance. We would never survive. Petar and I weren't attacked too long ago. So the odds are that these guys already put their crazy plan into action . That means we have to remain vigilant if we want to survive." He paused. The next part was going to be a make-or-break moment. His reign as leader would be extremely short-lived if he didn't deliver it in just the right way. "We have many brave parvs in our community. We have the advantage of being so in-tuned with nature that we can ride on a variety of insects and arachnids. That makes us faster than that group that attacked me. It also makes us stronger. They have the numbers, sure, but they don't have our spirit. Now, Petar believed in peace. And so do I. But I also believe that the best way to have peace is to prepare for war. I can only hope that the members of this community agree with me."

      There was a long period of silence. Carlisle was starting to get a little worried that his plan was going to backfire. Then all at once, the Lost stood up to applaud him. He breathed a sigh of relief and waved to the crowd. Their anger over Petar's death had spilled over just as he had hoped, and now he had them where he wanted them. He would give them some time to grieve, then it would be time to prepare them for the next phase of his plan: all-out war against Jacques.