Falling Skies ficlet: "The High Ground"
Fandom: Falling Skies.
Title: The High Ground.
Summary: One day, the Overlords left, taking all their tools and fauna with them. That should have been a warning to us.
Rating: PG(13)
spoilers: general season 2 (written before the s2 finale airs)
Disclaimer: I own none of the canon characters or species. Even the tactic is not new.
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"We will go," the Overlords had said through their intermediaries one day
The next day, the Overlords left, every single one of them, taking all their tools and fauna. And everyone celebrated. Everyone was cool with everybody - all the pockets of humanity reestablishing contact, the rebel skitters - the wave of victory was enjoyed by everyone.
Highs never last, though. Eventually, we all had to get back to the business of rebuilding civilization and society, and that meant survival.
Skitters were first to be pushed out of human-occupied areas, followed by harnessed and de-harnessed kids. In some places, they were killed outright.
Most of us, we allowed ourselves to forget the Overlords. Or, if not forgetting, then to set aside thoughts of them.
But they never forgot us. They sent gifts to Earth... presents that took months to make their way from beyond the orbit of Mars.
You see, we were so focused on one war, and its parallels with one war in our history, that we forgot a more recent war: the race to the Moon. The high ground. Missiles launched and gravity does all the work. If the Overlords noticed our technology on the Moon, they may have thought we were familiar with the concept.
The Overlords didn't even need warheads, or missiles. Simple rocks of varying sizes. Push them towards the Earth, and let them fall where they may.
No wonder the Overlords were confident that the rebellions - the human one, the skitter one - were of no consequence: they held the ace card, the winning hand.
Maybe they'll be back when the rocks stop falling and the dust clears, and try again. Maybe they will leave for good instead, and this was a parting shot.
One day, the Overlords left, taking all their tools and fauna. That should have been a warning to us.
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the end
Title: The High Ground.
Summary: One day, the Overlords left, taking all their tools and fauna with them. That should have been a warning to us.
Rating: PG(13)
spoilers: general season 2 (written before the s2 finale airs)
Disclaimer: I own none of the canon characters or species. Even the tactic is not new.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"We will go," the Overlords had said through their intermediaries one day
The next day, the Overlords left, every single one of them, taking all their tools and fauna. And everyone celebrated. Everyone was cool with everybody - all the pockets of humanity reestablishing contact, the rebel skitters - the wave of victory was enjoyed by everyone.
Highs never last, though. Eventually, we all had to get back to the business of rebuilding civilization and society, and that meant survival.
Skitters were first to be pushed out of human-occupied areas, followed by harnessed and de-harnessed kids. In some places, they were killed outright.
Most of us, we allowed ourselves to forget the Overlords. Or, if not forgetting, then to set aside thoughts of them.
But they never forgot us. They sent gifts to Earth... presents that took months to make their way from beyond the orbit of Mars.
You see, we were so focused on one war, and its parallels with one war in our history, that we forgot a more recent war: the race to the Moon. The high ground. Missiles launched and gravity does all the work. If the Overlords noticed our technology on the Moon, they may have thought we were familiar with the concept.
The Overlords didn't even need warheads, or missiles. Simple rocks of varying sizes. Push them towards the Earth, and let them fall where they may.
No wonder the Overlords were confident that the rebellions - the human one, the skitter one - were of no consequence: they held the ace card, the winning hand.
Maybe they'll be back when the rocks stop falling and the dust clears, and try again. Maybe they will leave for good instead, and this was a parting shot.
One day, the Overlords left, taking all their tools and fauna. That should have been a warning to us.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
the end