Teeviar

Gaylan Drake mouthed words over and over while walking up the wide dark, dank windowless concrete corridor. Nothing but the reverberation of his footsteps and the distant outside echoing announcer could be heard. His clothes were acceptable. He was as ready as he would ever be. Some years ago this would be the attitude of one about to walk into a courtroom and face a judge. But Gaylan believed the truth would prevail. It would break through all the lies and show itself .
The people, needless to say, would be suspicious. Big families were hard to aquire. Usually the lonely old men, only a step up from being vagabonds, were all that were available. This was the Last Age, and your reputation was all you had.
The truth was that Gaylan’s reputation was exceptional. There was an incident on Evas Tres that may have proved otherwise but Gaylan received a pardon from the President. This didn’t relieve him of the nagging, sometimes prodding guilt. Sickness A219 was not only impossible to cure but almost impossible to contain. There was no choice.
As Gaylan approached he could hear the Senator describing the capacity of Gaylan’s ship, the typical character description, his time in the Wantel Naval Brigade and where he’d come from.
Gaylan stopped and took a breath.
It was time.
Gaylan walked out onto the gigantic platform to see a crowd of about four thousand people. There were cheers mixed with boos. There was the dome top far above him revealing the earth. He could see the gray craters outside and the close horizon. A few stars were in view.
The crowd quieted to a murmur with a few distant voices in the background yelling that Gaylan was a liar.
“Fellow colonists. I come to you with nothing but one thing. My word.”
Someone a bit closer yelled for Gaylan to get out.
Gaylan continued his speech until he finished.
The Senator stepped up again to the microphone. “Ladies and gentlemen. Gaylan Drake.”
The people clapped.
Gaylan disappeared to the corridor and ventured back to the ready room.

(More Later)