//------------------------------// // Mission Log 17: Second Chances // Story: Stolen Minds // by TcogArchitect //------------------------------// Published November 28th, 2013 "So, do I keep calling you Mercury Mercer, or do you have a more accurate name?" "Mercury is fine. I prefer it to my given name." "Why's that?" "Because I have started to question my purpose." I cocked an eyebrow at the young Emrini sitting across from me. He was obviously nervous, fidgeting and shifting in his seat almost nonstop. "What do you mean by that?" "I was sent here as a spy, to try and find a way to weaken your defenses for an invasion.... I have since found reason not to." I considered the situation a little more closely. He had obviously been unprepared for a conflict when I found him out, and he had fled without a moment's hesitation. Moreover, the equipment recovered from his little lair hadn't been used for anything other than decoration for what appeared to be weeks, if not months. Up to this point, he had yet to show any of the usual strategies or intentions of other Emrini. Which meant there was something fundamentally different about how he thought. "And what would this reason be?" He looked up, his eyes showing a small flicker of hope that seemed to be rapidly fading into despair. "I found a way to mate without having anyone try to stop me." That piqued my interest. "And what would that be, exactly? I can't think of any way to do that with a human without encountering at least some resistance. Care to explain?" He looked around, as if debating whether or not telling me would be beneficial to him in the long run. After a few seconds, he sighed. "It was shortly after I arrived here. I was on the surface, scouting for threats. I found an area where there were lots of people, who looked like they were sort of... broken. They seemed very hateful, and most had their faces covered. There were several women, though, who were calling out to men. Talking about a 'good time', and inviting them to private rooms." "Prostitutes," I deduced. He nodded. "Yes. I figured it out after another two trips. I approached one of them, managing to hold myself back, thanks to some sort of artificial scent she was wearing." "Perfume." "So that's what it's called. Anyway, I used the same excuse for my cloak as before; that I was disfigured, and asked her if she would let me go with her. She said 'As long as you have the money, I wouldn't care if you were an Emrini. You give me what I want, and I'll do whatever you want.'" "So, you deactivated your surveillance equipment to keep your superiors from finding out what you were doing?" "Yes. I told them there was a malfunction. A few days later, I told them there was increased patrolling, possibly from a detection of my equipment, and that I would be out of contact for some time." "And how long ago was this?" "About two weeks ago. As expected, I haven't heard anything from them since." "Before we get any more off-track, here, let's get back to how you got on the planet. And what you're doing here. Shall we?" He nodded again. "First of all, how did you get past planetary defenses? They should have picked you up long before you even got to the atmosphere. So why didn't they?" "Several years ago, one of our recovery teams found a pod on Tarsus, back when it was under our control. Since then, the scientist sector has been studying it, trying to recreate it. About a year ago, they succeeded. The first couple weren't quite good enough, but a few months ago, they decided the one they had would be able to get past your security." "And that's the one you came in on." He nodded again. "Yes. It was made for more prolonged flight, so a full-sized ship wouldn't give it away. I was in that pod for several days, though they had made it so I would have plenty of provisions." We're going to have to find this thing, see if any of their modifications would be useful to us. "So how long ago did you actually come down?" "That was probably... a month and a half ago, now? About that." I nodded again, copying the information onto my notepad. "So, what was your actual duty here?" "I was supposed to find out battle plans, troop training and movements, weapons manufacturing-" "Anything pertaining to military endeavors, basically?" "Yes. After I found that woman, though, I decided to see if I could find a way to... escape, I suppose." "Escape? Sounds like you weren't too keen on going back to your own world, or seeing your relatives again." "We don't really keep track of who our relatives are. And I... wasn't exactly the strongest around." "That does seem to be the biggest factor of who's in charge in your society." "Yes. The strongest Denka usually takes over as the alpha of a given group of other Denka. For a small Denka like me, though, that isn't typically a happy occasion. After I found out about a specialized, solo mission, I signed up without even asking what it was. I just needed to get out." I studied him carefully for several moments, watching him curl up slightly as his eyes narrowed. He obviously wasn't lying. "So, you decided that it wasn't worth sticking around your old home, and signed on the dotted line without a second thought or a single glance back. Somehow, though, I feel like that was longer ago than a few months. When did you find out about this?" "Two years ago. I wasn't the only applicant, but I was smarter than the rest. Everyone was able to get through physical training fine, but I was the only one capable of fully completing the technology training." "I find it hard to believe that you had no problem simply leaving behind all the comforts of your home world. You had no problem giving up meals, warmth, a nice bed? Oh, and of course, let's not forget the breeding houses. You just left?" He was silent for a while, before he sighed. "To be honest, yes. I didn't really have those things. The alpha of my group decided very early on that I would be his toy. He got all the best parts of my food, and he sold my bed to get a better one for himself. Most of the 'warmth' I ever felt was my own blood after a beatdown when he needed to hurt something. As for the breeding houses, well, I didn't go most of the time because I was too busy recovering from my injuries. The first time I did go, well, I couldn't take the screams." I cocked an eyebrow curiously. "What do you mean?" "It sounded... familiar. It reminded me of what I had gone through. I couldn't do anything to them, hearing that sound. It just... hurt too much." I twirled my pen, contemplating what he said. On the one hand, he could simply be lying to try and garner pity and mercy. On the other hand, he could be telling the truth, in which case condemning him wouldn't just be hypocritical, it would just be downright cruel. I tapped the pen on the table a few times as I made a decision. "Well, Mercury, it seems to me that as of yet, we don't really have a case against you for anything more than possession of surveillance equipment, which isn't actually illegal." He suddenly looked up, obviously confused. "There's a couple other people who will want to talk to you before anything else happens, though, so for now you're stuck here. We'll see how things progress from here." I stood up, but he spoke again before I left. "So, I'm not going to be imprisoned?" I turned back with my hand on the knob, keeping my face as blank as possible. "Not yet." I exited the room, and went into the next one to see Leeroy standing at the observation window. "And you talk to me about 'executive decisions'?" I shrugged. "As of yet, we can't actually pin him on any sort of crime, other than being an Emrini in the first place. And let's be honest here, humanity has already gone through the whole 'racial segregation' thing already. I like to think there's enough people out there who can think properly that we won't have to repeat that era." The Admiral nodded in agreement. "So, now what?" "You're asking me? I'm just a Sergeant in the Shadow Battalion. I don't have that sort of authority." He sighed and rolled his eyes. "I'm asking you as a person. What do you think we should do with him?" I looked back through the glass at Mercury. He seemed both scared and excited simultaneously from the possibilities of what could happen. "They're going to try to take back Tarsus, right? I think we should put him somewhere comfy, wait until that whole mess is decided, then put him back where he was." "In Altipolis?" "What better place to keep an eye on him? He was working down there for at least a few weeks, and from the employee file I saw, he was doing a pretty good job. So long as he keeps out of trouble, and doesn't send anything back to the rest of their fleet, I don't see any reason to lock him up. He certainly seems capable of controlling himself." Leeroy nodded again, and went silent for a while. Finally, he nodded again. "Alright. I'll take care of the paperwork, see if that can happen. Although I am curious. Why do you seem so eager to let this happen?" "Two reasons: One, I'm fighting in this war to make peace, not to just put us in charge. Two: I believe in second chances. Speaking of which, I have another one I need to take care of, if you're done with me." "Affirmative. You're dismissed, Sergeant." I snapped a quick salute, then turned back around and left. Once more, I found myself headed up to the medical wing to Fluttershy's room. When I got there, I found Carlton making various gestures as Fluttershy giggled wildly. "Looks like you're feeling a good deal better." She got herself under control as best she could, though giggles still permeated her sentences. "I was just - heehee - just listening to Carlton tell me about when he was still in the marines, and he had to drag two of his squad - heheh - back through a bunch of brush because they knocked each other out in a fistfight, and their commander got mad." I looked at Carlton and raised an eyebrow, to which he made several whistles. Fluttershy looked at him intently for a moment, like she was listening, then turned back to me. "He says he's sorry you never got to hear the story." That made it click. "You can understand him to that degree?" She nodded. "Yes. I don't know how, though. It's just sort of... instinctive." I had already known that Carlton could communicate certain things through whistling and various other sounds, but this level of coherence was unheard of. "So you can understand what he means just through whistling?" She nodded. "That's... interesting. And more than enough reason for me to be sure of my next move." They both looked at me, confused. "I have a couple things to get first, but let the doctors know that I'll be back. And tell them to get Fluttershy ready to go outside. I have somewhere to take her." Carlton saluted, and I headed back to my quarters. Once there, I reached under the bed and pulled out a small, black wooden box. After opening it and making sure the item inside was still in the same state I last left it in, I headed over to wake up Groove. Once he was up and ready, we went back up to the medical wing, where the doctors were in quite the tizzy about letting Fluttershy go out. I came up to the head doctor, and whistled loudly to get them to be quiet so we could actually talk without screaming at one another over the din. "Sergeant, I understand that you may have good intentions, but I cannot, in good conscience, allow you to take her off this ship as she is!" I nodded. "Alright. What do I need to do to make you let her out?" He looked at me like I was crazy. "Th-th-that's not what I mean! She is in no state to be outside of the medical wing, let alone the middle of a crowded city! It's absurd! It's preposterous! It's.. It's..." "Idiotic?" I offered. He flailed for a moment. "Well... yes! Taking her outside as she is could have any number of effects! She could catch some other disease, she could sustain further injury, she could be targeted by a terrorist group-" "None of which are problems present where I'll be taking her." He looked at me, confused. "Where could you possibly be going where none of those could happen?" "The Masquerade." His eyes widened. "But, only Maskers know where the Masquerade is. It changes all the time!" "Yep." I kept a level stare on him the entire time. He got the hint. "You...?" I nodded once. "Um. Well.... I suppose that could be a solution, considering that we can't operate. And you're sure there's no danger?" "The Masquerade was started with the express purpose of helping people find their place and make everyone's lives easier. They don't tolerate those who would prey on others for personal gain. And neither does my squad, who will be going with me." He looked at me closely for several seconds, then sighed. "Fine, but not before we do several tests and ensure that you are properly equipped to handle any medical emergencies." "Absolutely." Two and a half hours later, Fluttershy now had a whole new set of clothes, a special hat that would transfer any serious fluctuations in her condition to my arm computer, which would then sound an alarm, her own arm computer, which had a real-time readout of her physical condition, and Carlton had a backpack filled with various medical equipment, in case something truly serious came up, while Groove had a messenger bag filled with more mundane supplies. "Is that everything?" "I think so," he replied, "but let me double-check the list one more time." After making certain that nothing had been left out, he was finally satisfied that she would be safe enough to let her go. I didn't waste any more time, and sent messages to the rest of my squad to meet us at the elevator dock. Once we were all assembled, I lead them out into the station, and we took one of the cars down to the planet. Obviously, Fluttershy was pretty freaked out by the method through which we would get to the ground, but Carlton and Groove had built up enough of a rapport with her to get her to calm down. When we reached the bottom, I took the lead once more, guiding the group down, into the lower streets. I already knew the general area to look in, I just needed to spot the signs I was looking for. After a few minutes of walking, I found one. Just a guy, standing on the corner, leaning against the streetlight with a kerchief around his nose and mouth, like one of those Old West bandits, but much less menacing. I walked up next to him, and looked around. I spotted the next sign down the street. A flyer, proclaiming 'The Greatest Ball in the Galaxy', taped to a power line. Now I knew the direction, we just needed to get there. It didn't take long. Soon, we were standing in front of what appeared to have once been some sort of mansion, back during the early days of interstellar exploration. It had obviously been repaired, rebuilt, and renovated multiple times, apparent from the wildly different architecture the building now had in various places. Out front, there were two people playing chess, one wearing what appeared to be an old gas mask, and the other wearing a box that looked like it was supposed to be a T.V. that wasn't getting any reception. They turned toward us as I opened the gate, and stood up as we entered. The one with the gas mask spoke once we were all in, obviously female from the voice. "Prostrate yourself," she began. "Stand and be acknowledged," I finished. Both of them started in surprise, then immediately stood to either side to let us pass. Toyoko quickened her pace to walk even with me. "Why did they seem surprised that you knew the passphrase?" "Because that wasn't the one they were expecting." She cocked her head, but I waved at her to let her know I'd tell her later. I opened the door, and stood aside to let the others in. The entryway was massive, as the mansion's exterior suggested, but what shocked the others was how many people were there. The entire room was filled with various people milling about, all wearing masks, and no two the same. Every mask was just a little different from the last, and every one had markings on it, differentiating it further. As they took in the scene, I noticed several stares being directed at us. I moved the group off to one side, and introduced them to the gathering. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Masquerade."