Perdix's Lament
Title: Perdix's Lament, Conclusion
Author's Name: frostian
Artist's Name: 3whiteroses
Genre: RPS, AU
Pairing: JA/JP
Rating: R for language and violence
Warning: Main character deaths
Summary: Humanity is at the brink of war as the relationship between the two major ruling parties disintegrate under bloody assassinations and accusations. Representatives from both sides, desperate in the hopes of avoiding annihilation, meet in secret, trying to stave off a conflagration that would set back humanity into the days before space travel. But neither party knows that there's a third group keen to see war explode across all systems. (Conclusion to Three Grams.)
Disclaimer: Brought to you live from Fiction Nation!
The Outskirts of Argeş System
Jensen changed the course of their ship only slightly, and truth be told Winchester’s autopilot would have made the correction. But after hours of watching the control panels and the black space outside the cockpit windows, Jensen needed to do something.
After visually confirming the ship’s change of course, Jensen returned to the bench where Jared’s body lay. He checked its condition then dialed down the temperature. Jensen also recalculated the time it would take to reach Argeş and decided to boost all the ship’s engines to maximum.
Jensen then rechecked the ship’s cloaking device and was relieved to note it was functioning perfectly. He hummed tunelessly as he scanned for messages from the four people who knew of his plans.
There were none, for which he was grateful. It meant his ruse had worked perfectly.
They’re rebuilding Beaver’s lab. Need subject. Hide.
Jensen had received the secretive missive from Chad the day after Jared died. He’d smiled at Chad’s terse message, grateful for the man’s obvious worry.
Jensen was well aware of the mining companies’ interest in building non-human workforce, and though much of their influence had degraded over the years since the miners had become incorporated themselves, the once-powerful conglomerates knew they could regain control if they had the ability to increase production without paying for safety measures, healthcare costs, and gene therapy for their workforce.
So, they’re recreating us as slave workers, Jensen thought, and was surprised to note he was a bit saddened by the idea. He’d hoped that after the draconian measures Dunrea installed to curtail the influence of major syndicates, they’d realize they would never regain their former stranglehold on the government.
But greed was a wondrous thing: they gave people eternal hope and the blindness necessary to avoid seeing the destruction they caused.
And since he was the last hybrid still functioning, Jensen knew he was of immeasurable value to certain people. He still remembered with great distaste the offers that came his way after Jared’s star began to dim.
Exactly six years after Heth Research Center had been established on Nerum, Jared was seriously injured from a suicide bomber who had approached him on the streets. The man had been a founding member of Purity, a group of fanatics who believed that people form the mining planets should never be able to reproduce freely as genetic defects, even corrected, could damage the human race.
For nearly four years, Jared spent most of his time trying to regain control of his body. And Jensen was there for the entire struggle, pouring his entire being into helping Jared take his first step out of the anti-grav chair.
After Jared managed to regain most of his mobility, they both decided that he had to scale back his research since his health couldn’t support his drive. And it didn’t take long for other labs to take his findings and branch out on their own in nanotechnology.
Many thought Jared would be resentful of his predicament, but the truth was the scientist was only too glad to let go of his crown. It had grown heavy over the years, and Jared wanted to devote more of his time to his ever-increasing family.
Sandy heartily approved of Jared’s choice and built a small cottage on her property, so Jared and Jensen could drop by and stay for long durations without feeling like they were being a burden to her.
Then the offers trickled in, few at first but then they became more insistent. Not for Jared but for Jensen. As Jared’s only trusted assistant Jensen had learned great deal about nanotechnology - to the point he could be considered a serious asset or a worrisome rival to other researchers.
Jensen turned them down politely but firmly. However, the second type of offer was harder to deal with as it pertained to his very being.
Once the suicide button was made public, majority of the hybrids either decided to ‘sleep’ as it was coined by the media or age so quickly that their masters had little compunction in discarding them.
Of course, Jensen chose to remain alive and gracefully aged alongside Jared. This went on for years until Jensen became the last of his kind.
He was amused to find that hybrid technology had become the main source of attraction in one of the biggest historical centers in Penn I, and that they had a life-sized replicate of him on display along with a hysterically inaccurate biography.
Jared had visited the Center of Humanity out of sheer curiosity, and left howling with laughter.
“They erased your freckles!” he crowed. “And they made you as tall as me!”
Jensen was very curious but never visited himself. It would be a little too much like masturbating his ego in full view of strangers. But he also knew there was a darker side to his fame: that there were people eager to recreate Beaver’s success since he made immense fortune with his hybrids. Luckily, Beaver was just as successful in destroying his research, so their progress was painfully slow and extremely haphazard.
Jensen started receiving private visitors, all professing their admiration for what he was. And quite a number of them were sincere. However, none of them had any interest in his personal welfare, not really. In a way, it had become like the time when Noah became obsessed with Jensen, as the threat of kidnapping became a heavy reality.
They were finally forced to double their security and enlist the help of friends and the local militia to ensure their privacy and safety. It didn’t take long for Jared to become obsessed with Jensen’s precarious safety. In fact, Jared was in the midst of developing a tracer tag for him when his heart finally surrendered.
Jensen was standing only steps away and caught Jared as he slumped forward. It took him only a moment to realize that Jared was dead.
As soon as he laid out Jared's body on a table, Jensen immediately implemented his last and greatest plan.
He and Jared had purchased Winchester when Jared stumbled over the derelict being auctioned off by a junk merchant. The ship’s main system was still in remarkably good shape though the outer hull was in shreds. They restored it as a form of physical therapy for Jared. Or at least Jared thought it was.
Jensen had the ship in space in less than an hour, and now they were heading towards Argeş: a system with promising hope for colonization and development. It was also the first human outpost that the mining colonies were developing independently. And where they would finally see if the scientists and geneticists at Heth had succeeded in reversing the Singer Affect as the settlers and miners would have been treated with genetic blockers before taking the long journey to Argeş.
Jensen remembered Jeff’s excitement while revealing that Megan’s lab had hit upon a DNA-blocker that could possibly mitigate the chromosomal damage. Megan’s reaction was great deal less dramatic but Jensen heard the agitation vibrating in her soft voice and knew she was already planning out various trials to test her treatment.
After the Singer Effect was made public, the initial hysteria unfolded as predicted. What happened afterwards was something nobody could foresee. Those who were deemed 'unsuitable' as parents still traveled, which meant miners and settlers, mostly. Those who were already classified as PBE-approved, mainly the citizens of Central Planets, were suddenly terrified to travel outside their systems in fear of their unborn children developing genetic defects. And because of this inertia, their influence eroded dramatically over the years. So, by the time Jared completely retired from the public arena, the colonies had the manpower, but most importantly the freedom to explore uncharted territories without help.
The tinny beep told Jensen Winchester had just entered Argeş System. He recalculated the ship’s course to the nearest sun and was pleased to note his initial estimations were correct.
Jensen looked back at Jared’s silent figure, loathing the calm. Jared was never the one to physically be still: even in sleep he would thrash about, and on more than one occasion kick hard enough to wake Jensen from his healing rest.
Jensen heard another beep and looked out the cockpit windows. The sun was burning hot in front of him. He checked then rechecked the ship’s trajectory. Satisfied, he went back to the cot where Jared lay and quietly rested his head on the still-broad chest. Tears came when Jensen didn’t hear the familiar rhythm of Jared’s strong heart.
“Warning.” the ship’s autopilot announced. “Ship is approaching sun without shields. Calculate new trajectory.”
“Stay on course,” Jensen said, his voice strong and unwavering.
Jensen unpacked a small bag he’d taken from their house. He pulled out the marital cord that Jared had made in haste when he suddenly decided that they needed to be married on that very same day. Jensen traced the promises Jared had stitched into each cord with wonder and love. He then put on the tunic that he'd worn when Jared had surprised him with the marriage proposal.
After smoothing out the wrinkles, Jensen entwined one end of the cord around Jared's wrist, and the other around his.
They decided to exchange their vows immediately, without any witnesses. Then, Jared surprised Jensen once again by kneeling down. He produced a small bottle of black ink. Without preamble, Jared wrote his vows on Jensen’s tunic with his fingers while reciting the words.
Jensen barely managed to speak his out loud as tears fell like unharnessed rivers. He had no idea that Jared had kept up with his writing. Megan had told him about Jared’s handwritten application for Andrea Academy, but Jensen never personally observed this phenomenon. As Jared wrote with smooth strokes, he realized Jared had to have practiced for this moment.
Jensen had known for a long time that no one was greater than their love. And no better or worse than those they loved. But to have that demonstrated with such tenderness and care overwhelmed him.
The sun’s heat blistered through the ship’s outer hull and penetrated into the cockpit.
“Warning…”
“Stay on course,” Jensen ordered as he closed his eyes, his embrace tight and unwavering around the still body.
Jensen then began whispering the promise vows he and Jared had spoken to no one but themselves, within the greenhouse they built together. And as he once again heard Jared’s fierce heartbeat, Jensen celebrated the life they had and will have, always.
The End
Part V * Author's Notes & Soundtrack
Author's Name: frostian
Artist's Name: 3whiteroses
Genre: RPS, AU
Pairing: JA/JP
Rating: R for language and violence
Warning: Main character deaths
Summary: Humanity is at the brink of war as the relationship between the two major ruling parties disintegrate under bloody assassinations and accusations. Representatives from both sides, desperate in the hopes of avoiding annihilation, meet in secret, trying to stave off a conflagration that would set back humanity into the days before space travel. But neither party knows that there's a third group keen to see war explode across all systems. (Conclusion to Three Grams.)
Disclaimer: Brought to you live from Fiction Nation!
The Outskirts of Argeş System
Jensen changed the course of their ship only slightly, and truth be told Winchester’s autopilot would have made the correction. But after hours of watching the control panels and the black space outside the cockpit windows, Jensen needed to do something.
After visually confirming the ship’s change of course, Jensen returned to the bench where Jared’s body lay. He checked its condition then dialed down the temperature. Jensen also recalculated the time it would take to reach Argeş and decided to boost all the ship’s engines to maximum.
Jensen then rechecked the ship’s cloaking device and was relieved to note it was functioning perfectly. He hummed tunelessly as he scanned for messages from the four people who knew of his plans.
There were none, for which he was grateful. It meant his ruse had worked perfectly.
They’re rebuilding Beaver’s lab. Need subject. Hide.
Jensen had received the secretive missive from Chad the day after Jared died. He’d smiled at Chad’s terse message, grateful for the man’s obvious worry.
Jensen was well aware of the mining companies’ interest in building non-human workforce, and though much of their influence had degraded over the years since the miners had become incorporated themselves, the once-powerful conglomerates knew they could regain control if they had the ability to increase production without paying for safety measures, healthcare costs, and gene therapy for their workforce.
So, they’re recreating us as slave workers, Jensen thought, and was surprised to note he was a bit saddened by the idea. He’d hoped that after the draconian measures Dunrea installed to curtail the influence of major syndicates, they’d realize they would never regain their former stranglehold on the government.
But greed was a wondrous thing: they gave people eternal hope and the blindness necessary to avoid seeing the destruction they caused.
And since he was the last hybrid still functioning, Jensen knew he was of immeasurable value to certain people. He still remembered with great distaste the offers that came his way after Jared’s star began to dim.
Exactly six years after Heth Research Center had been established on Nerum, Jared was seriously injured from a suicide bomber who had approached him on the streets. The man had been a founding member of Purity, a group of fanatics who believed that people form the mining planets should never be able to reproduce freely as genetic defects, even corrected, could damage the human race.
For nearly four years, Jared spent most of his time trying to regain control of his body. And Jensen was there for the entire struggle, pouring his entire being into helping Jared take his first step out of the anti-grav chair.
After Jared managed to regain most of his mobility, they both decided that he had to scale back his research since his health couldn’t support his drive. And it didn’t take long for other labs to take his findings and branch out on their own in nanotechnology.
Many thought Jared would be resentful of his predicament, but the truth was the scientist was only too glad to let go of his crown. It had grown heavy over the years, and Jared wanted to devote more of his time to his ever-increasing family.
Sandy heartily approved of Jared’s choice and built a small cottage on her property, so Jared and Jensen could drop by and stay for long durations without feeling like they were being a burden to her.
Then the offers trickled in, few at first but then they became more insistent. Not for Jared but for Jensen. As Jared’s only trusted assistant Jensen had learned great deal about nanotechnology - to the point he could be considered a serious asset or a worrisome rival to other researchers.
Jensen turned them down politely but firmly. However, the second type of offer was harder to deal with as it pertained to his very being.
Once the suicide button was made public, majority of the hybrids either decided to ‘sleep’ as it was coined by the media or age so quickly that their masters had little compunction in discarding them.
Of course, Jensen chose to remain alive and gracefully aged alongside Jared. This went on for years until Jensen became the last of his kind.
He was amused to find that hybrid technology had become the main source of attraction in one of the biggest historical centers in Penn I, and that they had a life-sized replicate of him on display along with a hysterically inaccurate biography.
Jared had visited the Center of Humanity out of sheer curiosity, and left howling with laughter.
“They erased your freckles!” he crowed. “And they made you as tall as me!”
Jensen was very curious but never visited himself. It would be a little too much like masturbating his ego in full view of strangers. But he also knew there was a darker side to his fame: that there were people eager to recreate Beaver’s success since he made immense fortune with his hybrids. Luckily, Beaver was just as successful in destroying his research, so their progress was painfully slow and extremely haphazard.
Jensen started receiving private visitors, all professing their admiration for what he was. And quite a number of them were sincere. However, none of them had any interest in his personal welfare, not really. In a way, it had become like the time when Noah became obsessed with Jensen, as the threat of kidnapping became a heavy reality.
They were finally forced to double their security and enlist the help of friends and the local militia to ensure their privacy and safety. It didn’t take long for Jared to become obsessed with Jensen’s precarious safety. In fact, Jared was in the midst of developing a tracer tag for him when his heart finally surrendered.
Jensen was standing only steps away and caught Jared as he slumped forward. It took him only a moment to realize that Jared was dead.
As soon as he laid out Jared's body on a table, Jensen immediately implemented his last and greatest plan.
He and Jared had purchased Winchester when Jared stumbled over the derelict being auctioned off by a junk merchant. The ship’s main system was still in remarkably good shape though the outer hull was in shreds. They restored it as a form of physical therapy for Jared. Or at least Jared thought it was.
Jensen had the ship in space in less than an hour, and now they were heading towards Argeş: a system with promising hope for colonization and development. It was also the first human outpost that the mining colonies were developing independently. And where they would finally see if the scientists and geneticists at Heth had succeeded in reversing the Singer Affect as the settlers and miners would have been treated with genetic blockers before taking the long journey to Argeş.
Jensen remembered Jeff’s excitement while revealing that Megan’s lab had hit upon a DNA-blocker that could possibly mitigate the chromosomal damage. Megan’s reaction was great deal less dramatic but Jensen heard the agitation vibrating in her soft voice and knew she was already planning out various trials to test her treatment.
After the Singer Effect was made public, the initial hysteria unfolded as predicted. What happened afterwards was something nobody could foresee. Those who were deemed 'unsuitable' as parents still traveled, which meant miners and settlers, mostly. Those who were already classified as PBE-approved, mainly the citizens of Central Planets, were suddenly terrified to travel outside their systems in fear of their unborn children developing genetic defects. And because of this inertia, their influence eroded dramatically over the years. So, by the time Jared completely retired from the public arena, the colonies had the manpower, but most importantly the freedom to explore uncharted territories without help.
The tinny beep told Jensen Winchester had just entered Argeş System. He recalculated the ship’s course to the nearest sun and was pleased to note his initial estimations were correct.
Jensen looked back at Jared’s silent figure, loathing the calm. Jared was never the one to physically be still: even in sleep he would thrash about, and on more than one occasion kick hard enough to wake Jensen from his healing rest.
Jensen heard another beep and looked out the cockpit windows. The sun was burning hot in front of him. He checked then rechecked the ship’s trajectory. Satisfied, he went back to the cot where Jared lay and quietly rested his head on the still-broad chest. Tears came when Jensen didn’t hear the familiar rhythm of Jared’s strong heart.
“Warning.” the ship’s autopilot announced. “Ship is approaching sun without shields. Calculate new trajectory.”
“Stay on course,” Jensen said, his voice strong and unwavering.
Jensen unpacked a small bag he’d taken from their house. He pulled out the marital cord that Jared had made in haste when he suddenly decided that they needed to be married on that very same day. Jensen traced the promises Jared had stitched into each cord with wonder and love. He then put on the tunic that he'd worn when Jared had surprised him with the marriage proposal.
After smoothing out the wrinkles, Jensen entwined one end of the cord around Jared's wrist, and the other around his.
They decided to exchange their vows immediately, without any witnesses. Then, Jared surprised Jensen once again by kneeling down. He produced a small bottle of black ink. Without preamble, Jared wrote his vows on Jensen’s tunic with his fingers while reciting the words.
Jensen barely managed to speak his out loud as tears fell like unharnessed rivers. He had no idea that Jared had kept up with his writing. Megan had told him about Jared’s handwritten application for Andrea Academy, but Jensen never personally observed this phenomenon. As Jared wrote with smooth strokes, he realized Jared had to have practiced for this moment.
Jensen had known for a long time that no one was greater than their love. And no better or worse than those they loved. But to have that demonstrated with such tenderness and care overwhelmed him.
The sun’s heat blistered through the ship’s outer hull and penetrated into the cockpit.
“Warning…”
“Stay on course,” Jensen ordered as he closed his eyes, his embrace tight and unwavering around the still body.
Jensen then began whispering the promise vows he and Jared had spoken to no one but themselves, within the greenhouse they built together. And as he once again heard Jared’s fierce heartbeat, Jensen celebrated the life they had and will have, always.
The End
Part V * Author's Notes & Soundtrack