Condition Evolution 4 by Kevin Sinclair (parable of the sower read online .txt) 📗

wouldn’t listen to anyone who wasn’t pulling in the same direction. I suppose for a minute I thought it was the sign of a good leader, and perhaps under different circumstances it would be. But not here and not now. Oh, and one last thing, Astrid, and you can decide what you want to do with it.

“I want us, the Uprising, to win, okay? I want us to be strong and not get screwed over like this ever again. There’s no doubt in my mind that Shaun wants the same thing, and that’s what we’re pushing towards. We’re stuck together for now, but once we’re safe again, if you want to go your own separate way, then by all means go with my blessing. Take the prisoners and Rufus, and anyone else who wants to go with you and just fuck off.” Turning on my heel, I marched off toward the room Acclo had assigned to me feeling equal parts terrible and elated, but sure I'd done the right thing.

The room had a double bed that I desperately threw myself onto. Burying my face into the cool pillows, it was blissful to be alone and just collect my thoughts. Unfortunately, it lasted all of five minutes before there was a knock on the door.

“Come in,” I growled, sitting up on the bed.

Ogun walked hesitantly into my room. “I was of the opinion Astrid never intended to talk to me again, however after a conversation with you, I have suddenly become a friend again.”

“Well, that figures. I'm gonna level with you, Ogun, I really don’t care what she had to say for herself. Unless she winds her neck back in, I'm done with her.”

“Ah, she mentioned that you do not want her to be part of Uprising anymore. I see she may not be too far from the mark.”

“This whole being the figurehead is a tough gig, right?” I asked.

“It most certainly is, you become the focal point for everyone’s hopes and fears.”

“I hadn’t realised how much I was putting on Shaun by pushing it on him.”

“I imagine you support him a great deal, so I wouldn’t worry too much about it. Make sure you rely on those you trust too.”

“Well, it sure as shit isn’t Astrid anymore.”

“Astrid is difficult to understand at times. She is quite remarkable, but despite the process she underwent in Anatoli, she can still have a predisposition to feeling like a victim.”

“She always seemed solid and dependable until now. So did you read her mind? I know you do that kind of crap without thinking.”

He smiled at me. “I tried. She felt me straight away. You could’ve warned me that she had transcended!”

I had to laugh. “Oh shit, yeah. I forgot to mention a bunch of people are transcended now. I bet that didn’t go down too well.”

“No, it did not,” he chuckled. “Astrid seems intent on painting me and now you as villains. I find it remarkable that you’ve saved them from starvation, given them a fresh purpose, and increased their power levels exponentially, and they still do not think you have done enough for them. How very human, and Fystr.”

“Yeah, people be dicks, Ogun.”

“Yes, it’s a universal truth. So, where do you plan to go from here? While I’d love to see you all remain together, it was always going to be tough. If you decide that the right course of action is to remove her from Uprising, then I will understand.”

“That's really not what I said to her, and she knows it. I told her we were in a shitty situation and all need to be pulling together. I told her she should get on board until we’re at least safe, and if afterwards she was still unhappy, she could fuck off.”

“Ha! A very fair and reasonable proposal and what a way with words.”

“Thanks for your support, Ogun. I am not too worried about Astrid. She’ll most likely be poisoning a few others against me as we speak, but I know the Torax and Veiletians will always have my back, and I’m confident that most of the humans will too.”

“It is the nature of our species to have a small number of troublesome outliers. It might even be a biological imperative to drive growth!” He laughed yet again, and it was infectious.

In the end his visit had cheered me up and I was left feeling much more positive. “Thanks for the pep talk, Ogun. Can I ask, where do you see yourself fitting into all of this?”

“Oh, I am content as we are. I’d like you to think of me as some kind of not particularly important advisor. I have already made a big enough mess of this whole thing.” He chuckled.

“You did an amazing thing, Ogun, you should be proud of your accomplishments with us.”

“I am, dear, and as long as we manage to join up with Shaun again, I wouldn’t change a thing.”

At that moment another knock came at the door. “Come in!” I shouted. Acclo entered.

“We have a tested workaround for the doors. It isn’t perfect, but the Torax can weld the doors shut.”

“What about feeding them, Acclo?” I asked.

“We have thought about that, and a small opening can be cut in the door for handing things through. We can still open the door when we need, though we may need to change their rooms on occasion, once the doors become irreparably damaged.”

“Hmm, it feels a bit uncivilized,” I pondered briefly, “but it’s all we have. So yeah, I’m on board with the idea. It has to be better than keeping them knocked out.”

“I’ll arrange it immediately,” replied Acclo.

“Thank you,” I said to their departing back.

“I too shall take my leave, Ember,” added Ogun. “I imagine you’d like to have a little time to yourself.”

“Yes, thank you, Ogun, I need a long moment.”

When Ogun left and I was alone once more, I lay back on the bed, facedown, and took the opportunity to cry my damn eyes out. Everything had