//------------------------------// // Mission Log 18: The Masquerade // Story: Stolen Minds // by TcogArchitect //------------------------------// Published December 3rd, 2013 "What.... What is all this?" "This is the Masquerade, a gathering originally organized in order to help people more accurately figure out what they're like, what they can do, and how they can use their skills and talents as productive members of society." "Any particular reason it's in an old-ass mansion that looks like it hasn't been properly cared for in years?" "Yes, actually. The original organizers made a rulebook very early on, and one of the rules is that the Masquerade always be held in a place that isn't taken care of by the city, or by someone who is well-off. It prevents the Masquerade from becoming profitable, and keeps focus on people that actually need assistance, rather than shifting towards those who already have power, and would use their influence to control those who seek out the Masquerade to fix their lives. Keeps it from turning into a method for personal gain." I led them off to the right as I explained, more stares following us as we left. I opened the door quietly, out of habit, and gestured for the others to stay silent as we entered. We moved through another partition, into a workshop filled with various tools, and walls lined with clean, brand-new masks of various styles and colors. The room's single occupant was seated at a lathe, working at another masterpiece. I stopped a respectful distance away, and once more put a finger to my lips for silence before adjusting my stance to wait. A minute later, the sound of wood on metal ceased, and the man at the lathe held his work up, running his fingers over it to check for minuscule flaws. A moment later, he nodded and put it to one side as he stood up and addressed me. "It has been quite some time since you and I last spoke, Sergeant Maldone." His voice rumbled through the room, commanding respect but at the same time thinly hiding a laughter that told all who heard him that they had nothing to fear in his presence. "But I suppose I can forgive you, seeing as how you brought friends with you." He turned around, eliciting a few gasps from my compatriots. He was obviously old, from his graying hair and slight wrinkles, but the powerful muscles that made up his body told of someone who still trained as hard as any other to ensure his physical health. His beard was longer than the last time I saw him, reaching down to just below his collarbone, but his face was just the same, minus an extra wrinkle or two. He still had a grand smile, proving his self-confidence and happiness to all in sight, despite the scars that crisscrossed his face. And of course, his eyes were clouded over, staring at the ceiling, despite the shine of life and joy they still radiated. He lumbered over, and put my face in his massive hands as I stood still, barely keeping from breaking out in a smile at seeing one of my oldest friends again, even if he did make me feel small at his gargantuan height of 6'9". "My, my. You've been quite busy, haven't you? New splices, higher rank, and... oh, a girlfriend, have you?" He grinned even wider than he already was, before clapping me on both shoulders. "Ha, HA! Made quite the place for yourself since the old days, haven't you? Can barely believe it's still you! But that quiet step of yours hasn't changed one bit, no sir! You're still that same little kid that showed up in my workshop all those years ago, aren't you?" I laughed despite myself. "Heheh. And you haven't forgotten a single thing about me, have you, Artisan? Yeah, I'm still the same little fool as always. And although I plan on having some time to catch up with you, that's not the main reason I'm here." He nodded like the old sage he was, still smiling slightly. "Right. Your message. Alright, then, let's have a look, shall we?" He moved over to Fluttershy, who shrunk away slightly. "There, there, little one. No need for fear in these walls. I'm just going to read you for a bit, and we'll see what I'm working with, alright?" She glanced over to me, and I nodded gently. She swallowed, then nodded and relaxed her stance. The Artisan gently cupped her cheeks, and slowly moved his hands over her face. "Hmmm. A gentle soul, you are. I don't think I've met anyone like you before in my life. But then again, I've never met anyone who isn't human, before. But now... you don't remember your own kindness, do you?" Fluttershy's eyes widened, and she looked over at me, prompting another bout of laughter from the Artisan. "No, he didn't tell me. I've been doing this for decades, child. I still remember when little Kuro first came to the Masquerade, back when I still lived on Mars. Confused and enraged, he was. Worst case of anger management I've ever had to deal with. But look how he turned out, eh? Don't worry, little one. I'll have your mask ready in no time. Assuming, of course, that you actually want one. I don't make any promises as to the effectiveness of our particular method, and it's not my choice if you don't want one. But if you think this will help, it'll only take me a few minutes to finish it. So? What do you think?" He pulled his hands back, and folded them in front of himself. Fluttershy drooped her head, obviously thinking hard about it. Eventually, she spoke. "What... What exactly is the mask for?" "The purpose of the mask is quite simple: to act as a physical metaphor for your soul. When it is given to you, it is blank. As you continue through your life, you discover things about yourself. Your talents, your flaws, your likes and dislikes. For each facet of your personality that you believe is permanent, or is too important to you to change, you draw a picture on the mask to symbolize that that part of you will always be there, and never go away. Not for anyone, not for anything. Once you have drawn enough symbols on your mask, you will understand yourself on a level beyond that which most can even begin to comprehend. Then, you will design your own symbol, to encompass the most prominent parts of yourself, that describe you most accurately. When this happens, you will know. There will be know doubt. No questions left to answer. You will see the image you have drawn, most often depicted on the back of the mask, and you will simply think, 'This is me. And I am satisfied.' And any others who see it will agree." She considered his words for several moments, then turned to me. "Is that how it happened for you?" I nodded. "When you know what to put as yourself, that'll be all there is to it. Once I had placed several drawings on my mask, I designed my symbol in about a half an hour. When I finished, there weren't any questions left to be asked, like he said. I just felt that it was me. I don't know any better way to put it." She nodded, and went silent again. "I think... I think I'd like to try this. I don't remember anything, but maybe giving myself some visuals will help." The Artisan nodded, then turned to me again. "Why don't you show her your mask, while you're waiting? Oh, and there's going to be an Ascension today, if you all want to stick around and see that. I need to get to work on this mask. Not every day I get to make one for an alien." I nodded, and led them back out. We headed to the back, up the stairs toward the entrance to what would have probably been a ballroom at one point, and therefore would be the only room large enough to house the entire congregation. Once again, we were stopped by two other maskers at the door. "See yourself," this one began. "Know yourself," I finished. Once again, they both jolted in place before standing aside. Once we passed the threshold, Toyoko came up to me again. "You've now caught two sets of security off-guard. How?" "Let's go get some seats first," I pointed up at what looked like had once been a dining area, "I'll tell you all when we're not in the middle of the walkway." We headed up to one of the larger tables, and everyone sat down. "So, I'll start with some background info, for Fluttershy and anyone else here who doesn't know the Masquerade too well. The entire idea behind the Masquerade is that everyone has somewhere that they can be both happy, and productive. In order to more efficiently figure out what that place is, the original creators decided to use masks. Masks have been used throughout history to convey messages about the wearer to others, and they decided to see if that could work for the wearers themselves, as well. They started making their own masks, and making symbols to draw on the masks to mean different things about the person's personality. After a while, the movement became very popular. Popular enough to start garnering attention from politicians, businesses, and the media. Before long, they were being inundated with people who had no intention of helping or joining, aggravating some of the more... volatile members. One particularly nasty incident involving an especially pushy reporter and a masker with a tendency toward violent outbursts prompted them to start putting in methods of keeping out those who would intrude for their own gain. This included the adoption of passphrases, physical training routines for long-term members, and the decision to move the Masquerade's meeting place every couple of weeks, leaving signs out in the area to direct those who knew what to look for." "That still doesn't explain why the guards were surprised at you," Toyoko argued. "If they're expecting someone to know what to say, why would they not expect you to?" "Because the phrase I used isn't used by new members. It's only known and used by maskers who have completed their personal symbol, and gone through the Ascension ceremony. The phrase they were expecting at the front gate was 'discover your roots,' and the phrase the ones just now were expecting was 'find yourself.' They didn't think they would get the passphrase of an Ascended, thus their surprise." They all nodded, and Ron pointed at the box I had brought with me, which was now sitting on the table. "So, is that your mask?" I nodded. "Yes. I've kept it in this box for a long time now. I suppose I should show you, since this is the main reason I thought of bringing Fluttershy here in the first place." I slowly opened the box, and gingerly lifted out my mask. It was made of two pieces of black wood, one covering the front and the other covering the back, connected by ratcheting slides. I held it up, showing them the symbols I had marked it with. On the left eye, a red teardrop hung from the inner edge. The right eye, in comparison, was surrounded by flames, which swept back slightly, as if the mask was in motion. The left cheek had a shield, overlaid with a simple longsword. The right cheek and mouth were covered in stylized teeth, simple triangles that drew up into a cruel sneer. The top of the mask, in contrast to the rest, had a simple, almost crude drawing, of a man, a woman, and a child holding hands as they walked. Behind them, walking alone, was a slightly taller child, watching the viewer with a deadly stare. On the back, however, there was a distinctly more impressive etching. A shield, scratched into the wood itself, and covered in spikes and chains. The Dark Spiked Shield. They all looked at it closely, occasionally glancing back at me as they did. Finally, I showed them the shield, and after studying that for several seconds, they each nodded while studying me. Dimitri voiced his opinion right away. "Well, the Artisan wasn't lying when he said that anyone would agree with your symbol. That's you, alright." The others nodded in agreement. Fluttershy stared for a few more seconds before speaking. "Is... Is that how they normally look?" I shrugged. "I wouldn't know. Ascending the Masquerade is a big deal, and doesn't happen often. When it does, most of the people who attempt it aren't actually ready. They aren't sure, and the symbol they've made has either not been drawn on their mask at all, or it's been drawn with something easily removed. I've only met one other person with their mask completed, and his symbol was of a fist wrapped in bandages. Appropriate for someone who was stuck in an illegal fighting ring until he organized the other fighters in a coup and took the whole thing down from the inside out. My guess is that yours wouldn't look anything like mine, though. You don't seem the type." She nodded again, and we fell silent. Looking around, I noticed that the room we were in had filled up considerably. The Ascension was beginning. I checked my watch, seeing that we still had plenty of time before the Artisan would have Fluttershy's mask prepared. We all got settled in, and turned to comfortable positions to watch. The ceremony went as it usually did. Five applicants, and only one success. The new Ascended was met with cheers from the congregation, and I decided to add my own applause to the dull roar. The other four returned to the crowd, which then slowly dispersed. We returned to the Artisan's workshop, and found him once more seated at his lathe. We waited for him to finish, and he stood up, bringing into view a newly-made mask, built for a pony's head. It was pure white, and as with mine, it was separated into two pieces: one for the front, one for the back. Unlike mine, however, this one had two slots for the ears, and a third opening along the top for her mane. He brought it over, and held it out to its new owner. Fluttershy gently picked it up out of his hands, and studied it for a moment before just as gently putting it on her head. She shifted it for a few moments, getting her mane and ears through their respective openings and making them comfortable. Once she stopped moving the mask around, she gave her head a few turns, ensuring that she had full mobility of her neck, as well as swiveling her ears around to make sure they weren't hindered, either. Once she was finished, she nodded. "I think... I think this will help. I can just sort of... feel it." She moved forward and gave the Artisan a hug, which he readily returned. "Thank you. Even if it doesn't end up fixing everything, I'm happy that so many people are trying to help." "Of course, little one. That is, after all, why the Masquerade exists." They separated again, and we all headed out, calling out our farewells as we left the Artisan to his work. We made our way back to the elevator, and got in line to go up. As we waited, I turned to Fluttershy, still wearing her mask. "So, are you glad I brought you out here?" She nodded. "Yes. I still don't remember anything about myself, but now I feel like there's a way back, instead of just hoping and waiting and taking random attempts to make something come back. And even if I don't, now I have a way to remake myself. So, maybe I'l get back to normal anyway. I do have one question, though." "What's that?" "Why did you join the Masquerade? The Artisan said something about you being angry, but what did he mean?" I sighed. "I don't think you're quite ready for that story yet, Fluttershy. Maybe some other time." She didn't seem entirely satisfied, but she let it go anyway. We boarded the elevator, and were soon back on board the Star Spectre. The next month and a half passed without incident, while the crew of the Star Spectre worked with the planetary crews to get the ship back to full functionality. I did my part as well, helping with repairs and maintenance where I could, and assisting other combat units with equipment care otherwise. It was during one of these sessions with a marine squad that my arm computer pinged at me. I pulled up my sleeve to look at it, and found a new message waiting for me. Curious, I tapped on the icon, and the message filled the screen. Sergeant Kuro Maldone Please report to the bridge as soon as you are able. I have some new orders for you. Admiral Leeroy Tornak I wasn't quite sure what to make of it, so I decided to just not question it for now. I summarized a couple of the more important points that we hadn't gotten to yet, then excused myself and headed toward the bridge. Once there, I found Leeroy lounging in his command chair, obviously at ease, almost like he was happy about something. Oh dear. What are these orders? Please tell me it's not like the Sawcus incident again. He got up as I neared, and handed me a sheet of paper. To Sergeant Kuro Maldone, Shadow Squad 258, Priority 4 directive. You are hereby designated as inspector and proctor for the final examination of recruitment squad 329, located on Pincer Island, to be administered in one week and two days. UESDF High Command I read over the directive again, making sure I hadn't missed anything. Once I finished, I handed it back to Leeroy. "Isn't that the squad Twilight and her friends were put in?" He nodded. "Why would they pick me to proctor the final examination?" "Apparently, High Command seems to think that your relationship with the ponies will assist you in some way. That's my best guess, anyway." "I don't know... Usually, High Command tends to prefer everyone to just have 'professional' relationships. This doesn't seem quite right. Like there's something else going on." He shrugged. "Sergeant, I think you're over-thinking it. Honestly, they most likely just don't want the knowledge of the ponies' presence to be too widespread yet." I mulled it over for a moment, then sighed. "Yeah, probably. I suppose I should start getting everything ready, huh?" He grinned. "Yep. Lots of paperwork to do before you leave." I groaned.