Gabriel listens gravely, and his expression doesn't change even when the reporter stumbles over his name. He nods again as the young man finishes, and then says,
"An apology would be warranted, there's no question about that -- but who exactly should the responsible members apologize to? The dead can't hear them, and as for the Reavers, I frankly doubt they'd be willing to listen."
Laughter again from some corners, slightly nervous, and he raises his hand to signal that he's not yet finished. Gabriel addresses the young man once more, very seriously.
"As things now stand, the Alliance has jurisdiction over every planet. There was a war fought, after all." A beat. "It's important to remember that jurisdiction also means responsibility." His sharp glance scans the room, making his point clear. "Resources must be found to devote to defending our people -- our responsibility -- against the threat for which Parliament was also responsible for creating in the first place."
"The time for secrecy and concealment is past. The time for working together in common cause to benefit the Alliance as a whole -- all of the Alliance -- is here."
More waving hands, and an older woman in a conservative blue suit comes first out of the scramble.
"Touching on the issues of secrecy and concealment, Mr. Tam ... how do you respond to allegations about your activities in the past few years, connected to your son's covert sabotage of government facilities which led to the still outstanding warrant for his capture?"
Her face and voice are perfectly calm, displaying no emotion other than a mild interest, as though she's asked about his favorite tailor.
A ringing silence descends upon the room, the gazes of the assembled reporters intent upon Gabriel. Who looks -
Crowley leans forward, sudden motion breaking the frozen tableau, shifting the focus of attention. Deliberately, he reaches for his glass of water and takes a sip, flashes a meticulously calculated absent grin at the reporter nearest him, and leans back.
The entire thing takes no more than three seconds; three seconds wherein the eyes of the room are not focused on Gabriel Tam.
They'd known it was coming, but not like this -- for a frozen moment, he isn't sure whether the woman means Ariel or the Academy, and it's entirely possible she could mean either or both.
Regan is rigidly controlled beside him, but he doesn't dare look at her. Doesn't dare show weakness, and inwardly he spares a half-second of the time bought by Crowley to be grateful to him for it.
When the reporters look back at Gabriel Tam, he's ready for them.
"I welcome such inquiries," he says calmly. "If I'm to support openness in government, then it's of tantamount importance that I demonstrate that within my own family as well."
"I will also remind you, ma'am, that accusations remain only those, and that it was our own government that perpetrated horrific crimes in the past. When, in due course of time, an unbiased examination of evidentiary facts reveals the truth, then justice must be done-- no matter who it affects."
Her face is calm. Pleasant. And unflinchingly determined.
"My husband," she says, "speaks for our family's values and this campaign both. We have made a commitment to working within the Allied parlimentary system to ensure that our government is truly a servant of its people, based on open communication and true, impartial justice, rather than shadowy secrets such as those that led to the Miranda tragedy."
"Thou shalt not be a victim. Thou shalt not be a perpetrator. Above all, thou shalt not be a bystander."
Crowley has leaned forward again, to speak into his own microphone; a practised tone, not quite so formal as the Tams, but no less grave.
They do say the devil can cite scripture for his purpose, and Crowley is a master.
"From the Holocaust Memorial Museum, on Earth-That-Was. We have all learned, in recent months, that what is just and what is laid out by a governing body as law do not always coincide. The right, for example, for a government to decide, without referendum, what is best for its people. Modification," he says, with a wry grin, "without consultation. If the law is to be our god, then we must all be Abrahams - and that includes Mr. Tam. But never again can we follow blindly; if something is found to be unjust, then action must always be taken. Above all, thou shalt not be a bystander."
The questions continue for a little while longer, but the first hard-hitting ones have been asked now. The rest is just routine.
Soon enough, the journalists pack up their recorders and their cameras and their lights, and take their leave in ones and twos, heading back to edit their stories and submit them over broadwave to every planet from Core to Rim.
Different angles will be studied and considered and discussed, depending on the source. More than one newswave will feature Andronicus Crowley leaning forward and speaking into the microphone. Thou shalt not be a bystander. In the days to come, the quote will take hold and begin to spread like wildfire through dry grass.
Most of the reports will show Regan at her husband's side in unflinching support as the topic of the Tam children -- the highly-ranked brilliant doctor, once-rising star Simon Tam, and the disappeared daughter River, rumored to be an unstable murderer -- is examined from every angle, over and over again. Scandal raises ratings, after all... but with each repetition, the word of the campaign continues to spread, reaching a wider and wider audience.
All of them will show Gabriel Tam, dark-horse independent candidate for a seat in Parliament, coolly defiant and prepared to fight for the changes that he advocates, refusing to back down from his beliefs.
The race is only beginning, but it's a hell of a start.
"An apology would be warranted, there's no question about that -- but who exactly should the responsible members apologize to? The dead can't hear them, and as for the Reavers, I frankly doubt they'd be willing to listen."
Laughter again from some corners, slightly nervous, and he raises his hand to signal that he's not yet finished. Gabriel addresses the young man once more, very seriously.
"As things now stand, the Alliance has jurisdiction over every planet. There was a war fought, after all." A beat. "It's important to remember that jurisdiction also means responsibility." His sharp glance scans the room, making his point clear. "Resources must be found to devote to defending our people -- our responsibility -- against the threat for which Parliament was also responsible for creating in the first place."
"The time for secrecy and concealment is past. The time for working together in common cause to benefit the Alliance as a whole -- all of the Alliance -- is here."
Reply
"Touching on the issues of secrecy and concealment, Mr. Tam ... how do you respond to allegations about your activities in the past few years, connected to your son's covert sabotage of government facilities which led to the still outstanding warrant for his capture?"
Her face and voice are perfectly calm, displaying no emotion other than a mild interest, as though she's asked about his favorite tailor.
Reply
Crowley leans forward, sudden motion breaking the frozen tableau, shifting the focus of attention. Deliberately, he reaches for his glass of water and takes a sip, flashes a meticulously calculated absent grin at the reporter nearest him, and leans back.
The entire thing takes no more than three seconds; three seconds wherein the eyes of the room are not focused on Gabriel Tam.
Reply
Regan is rigidly controlled beside him, but he doesn't dare look at her. Doesn't dare show weakness, and inwardly he spares a half-second of the time bought by Crowley to be grateful to him for it.
When the reporters look back at Gabriel Tam, he's ready for them.
"I welcome such inquiries," he says calmly. "If I'm to support openness in government, then it's of tantamount importance that I demonstrate that within my own family as well."
"I will also remind you, ma'am, that accusations remain only those, and that it was our own government that perpetrated horrific crimes in the past. When, in due course of time, an unbiased examination of evidentiary facts reveals the truth, then justice must be done-- no matter who it affects."
Reply
Her face is calm. Pleasant. And unflinchingly determined.
"My husband," she says, "speaks for our family's values and this campaign both. We have made a commitment to working within the Allied parlimentary system to ensure that our government is truly a servant of its people, based on open communication and true, impartial justice, rather than shadowy secrets such as those that led to the Miranda tragedy."
Reply
Crowley has leaned forward again, to speak into his own microphone; a practised tone, not quite so formal as the Tams, but no less grave.
They do say the devil can cite scripture for his purpose, and Crowley is a master.
"From the Holocaust Memorial Museum, on Earth-That-Was. We have all learned, in recent months, that what is just and what is laid out by a governing body as law do not always coincide. The right, for example, for a government to decide, without referendum, what is best for its people. Modification," he says, with a wry grin, "without consultation. If the law is to be our god, then we must all be Abrahams - and that includes Mr. Tam. But never again can we follow blindly; if something is found to be unjust, then action must always be taken. Above all, thou shalt not be a bystander."
Reply
Soon enough, the journalists pack up their recorders and their cameras and their lights, and take their leave in ones and twos, heading back to edit their stories and submit them over broadwave to every planet from Core to Rim.
Different angles will be studied and considered and discussed, depending on the source. More than one newswave will feature Andronicus Crowley leaning forward and speaking into the microphone. Thou shalt not be a bystander. In the days to come, the quote will take hold and begin to spread like wildfire through dry grass.
Most of the reports will show Regan at her husband's side in unflinching support as the topic of the Tam children -- the highly-ranked brilliant doctor, once-rising star Simon Tam, and the disappeared daughter River, rumored to be an unstable murderer -- is examined from every angle, over and over again. Scandal raises ratings, after all... but with each repetition, the word of the campaign continues to spread, reaching a wider and wider audience.
All of them will show Gabriel Tam, dark-horse independent candidate for a seat in Parliament, coolly defiant and prepared to fight for the changes that he advocates, refusing to back down from his beliefs.
The race is only beginning, but it's a hell of a start.
Reply
Leave a comment