Published April 23rd, 2013
"Who the hell do you think you are?"
"Sir?"
"I asked who the hell you think you are, soldier."
"Sir, Shadow Soldier Sergeant Kuro Maldone of Shadow Squad two-five-eight, sir."
"And what in God's name possessed you to bring two hostile units on board an Earth Sphere Defense Vessel without restraints, Shadow Soldier Sergeant Kuro Maldone of Shadow Squad two-five-eight?"
"Sir. I discovered mind control units placed on the spinal columns of both individuals. They were under the influence of these units for an elongated period of time, but after the removal of the units, neither individual displayed any cause for alarm nor any violent tendencies toward anyone. I believe them to be a non-threat, and will accept all responsibility for them while under my care. Sir."
The Admiral put his face less than an inch from mine, staring hard into my eyes. As usual, his brown hair was styled back, with his bangs practically glued into place to look like fangs. He was also wearing his color contacts, which turned his eyes a blood red. They really were necessary for him to see, but he always had them colored the same way. He was also a couple inches shorter than I am, but still fully capable of looking me in the eye. After a moment, he relented, apparently satisfied with my answer. He gave the evil-eye to the rest of my squad, before turning to Twilight and Rainbow. When he spoke, his voice was a low, threatening growl.
"You two had best watch your asses. I find out that either of you fucked up even ONCE, and I will personally ensure that you never see natural light again. Am I understood?" They both stood stock still as he spoke, and nodded stiffly when he was finished. He gave us all a final warning glance, before stalking out of the room. No one said a word or moved a muscle for a few moments. When we were sure he was gone, Admiral Tornak nodded once at us, and we all relaxed. I decided to get the obvious question out of the way first.
"Permission to speak freely, Admiral?"
"Granted."
"What the fuck was Admiral Fallshen doing here?" He took a moment to collect himself again before speaking.
"He was already here on Agrigate when we arrived. Local Command decided he was most appropriate for the situation, and called him in from what was apparently his vacation." He returned to his chair, obviously still a little shaken from the unexpected visitor. He leaned his head on one hand, and sighed as he rubbed his temples. I smirked a bit, and decided to give him his usual dose of after-mission smart-ass remarks anyway.
"Long day?" He uncovered enough of his eyes to glare at me as I leaned against the nearby railing.
"Well, let's see. I have to send a single person into enemy territory to go destroy a building without any backup or radio contact. When I finally find out he succeeded, I also discover he has an Energy Keeper with him, and then he manages to capture a Cloud Buster during pickup, as well. Now we have two hostiles en route to my ship, and I don't find out they're friendly until they're walking around in front of me and I'm being handed a souped-up version of the mind control devices found on human victims ten years ago. And to top it all off, we get back to friendly space for the first time in a week just for me to be told that Cordon Fallshen will be coming aboard for an appraisal of our guests. How do you think I'm doing?" My smirk grew.
"I didn't ask how you were doing. I just asked if it had been a long day." If looks could kill, I would have lit up like a wooden effigy by then.
"Is there a reason you're still on my bridge?" I gave him the most innocent smile I could.
"I still haven't been given any orders, and I believe Doctor Pernaki has something to say." There was a snicker behind me that sounded suspiciously like Ron before a small cough that sounded suspiciously like Dimitri's elbow. I turned to find Ron doubled over and gasping for air while Dimitri simply stood next to him calmly and everyone else held back laughter. Dr. Pernaki then took a few steps forward so that the Admiral and I could both see him.
"Yes, actually, I do have something to report. A few things, in fact. The first is that we have confirmed the presence of performance-improving technology in the armor of the two new arrivals. The second is that we have isolated the frequency for the mind-control units, and we're working on a counter-frequency. Also, one of our more.... experimental scientists has begun working on new armor for the Energy Keeper and Cloud Buster. I told him it might never be used, but he insisted. Finally, we have managed to crack the cypher on the information the Sergeant obtained, and are currently in the process of decoding it. It should be finished in an hour or two." Tornak seemed to relax a little when he finished, and I could almost hear the gears in his head turning again. After a few moments of silent contemplation, he started giving out assignments.
"Alright. Doctor, go back to the lab, and get to work making something we can use that counter-frequency with to take out the mind controllers. Also, I want regular updates on that armor. If any of these guys want to start fighting for us once they're under their own control again, I want them properly equipped. Sergeant, your team has leave while we're docked. I want our guests interviewed first, but after that, they're free. You're chaperoning, though. The newbies don't leave the ship, and you are to stay with them at all times." I raised an eyebrow at this.
"All times, sir?"
"All times, Sergeant." He stared at me for a moment, driving his point home. I groaned and nodded my head in understanding of his order. He looked us over once then stood up. "If no one has anything else to bring up, then you are dismissed." When no one spoke up, he nodded once before moving towards the door to the observation deck. The rest of us filed out, and we gave a short farewell to Pernaki as he got on an elevator, and we continued towards the debrief room. As we walked, I decided to give Twilight and Rainbow some early warnings.
"Okay, you two, pay attention for a minute. We're going down to get you debriefed, and you need to know a couple of things. First, none of us will be in there with you. We'll be watching, but it will just be you and the debriefer in there. You need to tell him everything you remember. And I do mean everything. No matter how painful it is, you need to tell him or it won't be considered the truth. Everyone knows how depraved the Emrini are, but the laws we have in place prevent addendums to debriefing sessions, so don't hold anything back. Even if you have a complete breakdown, just get through it. Otherwise, the records will consider it to have not happened. Also, anything you can remember about them tactically will get you friends in high places, more than likely. And go over as much of your planet's history as possible. The more we know about you and where you came from, the more likely Central Command will be to send troops to your world once we find it. This will also help smooth over any rescue operations we initiate. Got all that?" They both nodded as we came into the debriefing wait room. We all took seats and used the chance to get what little rest we could after the taxing events of the day. After a few minutes, a pair of marines walked in and came over to me.
"I take it the debriefer is ready, then?" I asked without opening my eyes. I heard them jolt in place at my unexpected notice of their presence, but one of them quickly answered my question anyway.
"Yes, sir. We were sent to escort the subjects into the observation room." I sighed to get my body awake from its relaxed state, then stood up as everyone else roused themselves from slumber. Twilight and Rainbow were already awake, apparently having been too nervous to relax.
"Well, lead on, gents." They both gave curt nods, then turned and started walking back towards the door they came from. The rest of us waited for the guests of honor to go first before following along as well. We walked down a short hallway, and came to a pair of doors a few feet from each other on the left wall. The guards opened the further door, and took their places on either side. Both of our charges looked at the room beyond fearfully, then looked to me pleadingly as the rest of my team entered the other door. I gave them my most encouraging grin, a quick recap of what to do during the debriefing, then sent them in before following my squad into the observation room. It was relatively large, but still slightly cramped with all of us in there. Through the one-way glass, we saw Twilight and Rainbow situate themselves before the debriefer came in and sat down across from them. He pulled up a briefcase, and started unloading it onto the table. When he finished, there was some paper, a couple of pens, a stack of documents, and an audio recorder lying on the table. He took one of the blank sheets of paper and wrote down what I assumed to be his introductory statement for his notes before setting it down and clicking on the recorder.
"Debriefing file nine-two-eight-seven-six-four. Friendly Energy Keeper and Cloud Buster found to be under the influence of mind control technology. Session will document subjects' history before and during mind control subjugation, and attempt to determine possibility of lingering malignant tendencies. Energy Keeper, please state your name." The suddenness of the command caught her off-guard, but she quickly recovered.
"Twilight Sparkle, sir." He made a note on his paper before returning his attention to the purple-furred unicorn and speaking again.
"Twilight Sparkle, during this session, it may be necessary for me to ask questions of a personal or uncomfortable nature. In order for this debriefing to be as accurate as possible, and to ensure you are entitled to appropiate help with no undue stress caused by miscommunication, I will need you to answer all of these questions to the best of your ability, and as truthfully as you are able. I am an impartial individual, who bears you no ill will or malicious intent. I assure you that no matter how discomforting these questions are, they are entirely necessary for us to properly evaluate your position. This session will be recorded, and anything you say or do will be used as appropriate in a court situation. Any facts that you omit from your answers will be considered untrue, and will not be considered by any official of the law during their judgements. Do you understand and agree to what I have asked of you?" She took a breath to help calm herself, and nodded. "Please use vocal responses during the session to prevent confusion and misinterpretation."
"S-sorry. Yes, I understand and agree." He nodded, and wrote another small note on his paper. He then turned his attention to Rainbow Dash, and copied the procedure. When he was done with both, he got a new sheet of paper and made some notes before starting in earnest.
As his questions were answered, my mind created an image of the world these two had come from. Their country, Equestria, was particularly impressive. Populated by the three pony races, and ruled by a pair of sisters, Luna and Celestia, with no war or famine, and crime rates so low it would be a dream for any cop or attorney in terms of workload. To me, it sounded like a utopia. The other countries of their world, ruled by griffons, zebras and dragons, didn't sound as peaceful, but certainly better than most places humans inhabited. Then the questions turned to the Emrini. I knew I wasn't going to like this part, but it was still worse than I thought it would be. They had invaded almost without warning, and their world's lack of technology prevented them from being able to fight back effectively. They were overrun, their homes were burned, the sick or elderly were slaughtered, and the children were forced to mine the plentiful gemstones and precious metals of their world while the strongest and most physically fit members of their society were put under the influence of the mind control units, and forced to fight the Emrini's war for them. During the story, Twilight broke down into tears multiple times, and Rainbow looked like she was doing all she could not to do the same. I had slowly become more and more infuriated as she continued, and I knew the worst was yet to come. Sure enough, the debriefer asked the question I had been expecting since the beginning.
"At any point, did the Emrini use you for sexual acts?" I could tell right away that he wasn't comfortable asking this, and I could see both women stiffen at the question. I barely registered Twilight's voice as she squeaked out an affirmative, and Rainbow's voice cracked as she answered similarly. The first time rape of a human woman by an Emrini was reported, many people had dismissed it simply because of how atrocious it seemed. No one could have imagined how depraved they really were.
The Emrini race evolved in such a way that females are not born very often. This fact led to two major parts of their culture. The first is that they worship their females as divine gifts and messengers, treating them with more respect and care than a royal, although the sole purpose of female Emrini is to choose powerful males and mate with them to create stronger young. The second effect of this was the Emrini creating a drug that mutates the DNA of reproductive cells when injected into another species. This means that the Emrini are capable of successfully procreating with any creature they find, even non-sentient life. They kidnap any females they find, keeping them in buildings built for the singular purpose of breeding. Apparently, the mind controllers were not removed merely for adjustments. They were removed for copulation purposes, as well. As Twilight stuttered through her descriptions of what happened during those periods, I could feel myself becoming enraged. Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I whipped around to see Toyoko staring worriedly at me. At my confused expression, she looked down. I followed her gaze to find my own hands bleeding, dripping onto the floor. I unclenched my fingers, pulling slightly to remove my nails from the flesh of my palm, and took a couple of calming breaths.
"Dimitri, could you please give me some bandages?" He reached down to his metal leg, and produced a roll of antiseptic bandage and a rag before handing them both over to me. I wiped off the excess blood, then turned back to the observation window as I wrapped up my hands. I heard Dimitri walk up, but kept my eyes on Twilight, who had recovered from her most recent breakdown and was almost finished with her story.
"Sir, are you sure you don't require a tranquilizer?" I took a deep breath, and used my teeth to cut the bandage. I then tucked the end in, and started on my other hand before responding.
"Yes, Dimitri. I'm fine now. Thank you, though." He backed off, and I continued listening to the debrief. They were almost finished, now, but apparently Twilight had something she wanted to add.
"One other thing you should probably know: we, along with our other four friends, have access to a set of artifacts known as the Elements of Harmony. The Elements are extremely powerful, and if we can find our friends and the Elements themselves, we may be able to drive the Emrini off our world. I don't know for certain, though. We never got a chance to use them during the invasion, so I don't have any data regarding their effectiveness." The debriefer scratched madly at his paper to get down all the information before speaking again.
"Do you have any idea where your friends or these artifacts are now?" Twilight scrunched her eyes in thought, obviously wrestling with her own memory to recall the information.
"I think they're back on the planet we were on. I'm not entirely sure, but it seems likely. I remember a lot of ponies I knew being kept with us when we were locked up. And the Emrini had no reason to think we were special, so they probably just shipped us all together. As for the Elements themselves, I have no idea. For all I know, they were melted down to create other things." The debriefer wrote down some more notes, then tapped his chin with his pen in thought.
"Your analysis does stand to reason, but that's not my call. I will take the records for this session to Admiral Tornak, and he will relay the information appropriately. Once a decision has been made regarding actions to be taken pertaining to you, you will be notified. For now, though," He handed them each half of the short stack of documents, held together by paper clips. "Please read through these packets, and ensure you understand them. When you do, please sign them so that we may begin working to gain you full citizenship and the legal rights and protections that come with it. Thank you for your time." With that, he packed his things and left. Twilight and Rainbow sat there, and my squad and I made our way into the room with them. I sat in the chair previously occupied by the debriefer, and I could see how miserable they both looked from the bad memories that had been dredged up. Carlton came up behind them, and hunched slightly as he wrapped his arms around them, a small whine escaping him as he attempted to comfort the two. It didn't entirely work, but now they had something solid to lean against as their emotions poured out. I gave a meaningful glance to Reznov, and he nodded before snapping his fingers twice and motioning for Ron and Groove to follow him. They did, leaving Carlton, Toyoko and I with the distressed women. I moved to my right around the table, next to Rainbow, and sat one leg on the edge before gently running my fingers across her cheek. She grabbed my hand and held it to her face, quietly crying into it, oblivious to my blood-stained bandages. Meanwhile, Toyoko had slipped under Carlton's arm to cradle Twilight, who was crying openly, muffled by the cloth around her face. We stayed there for a couple of minutes, until they had regained their composure. They still sniffled occasionally, but were otherwise back to stable emotional levels. Even so, however, I could tell they were tired. I had Carlton pick them up gently, and carry them back to the barracks area. I checked with the chambermaster to see which room they were in, and he pointed me to the room right next to mine. By the time we made our way over they were both asleep, and after some slight convincing, Carlton and Toyoko left to enjoy their leave once we had put them in their beds. I left a small communicator in the room where they would find it, along with a note on how to use the thing, then locked the door and went into my own room. I sat down and started going over everything that had occurred that day while I changed into my sleeping pants. I eventually decided on my course of action for tomorrow, and turned the light off before laying down in bed to sleep. Well, whatever happens, it can't possibly be worse than what I heard about today.