//------------------------------// // Recovery // Story: The Descent into Madness // by FenrisianBrony //------------------------------// Applejack Aun'Vesa stood at the edge of one of the quarantine rooms, looking in at the teams of Earth Caste Medics and Medical Drones performing surgery on Applejack. She had been brought back in a few hours ago by the stealth teams that had managed to insert into the Factorum Primus, opening up many potential avenues for attack by more conventional means. Both he and Shas’O Shan’Ta had rushed here as soon as they were able, Shan’Ta leaving his distinctive Crisis Suit outside, clad now in the tight jumpsuit all battlesuit pilots wore to help them better interface with their armour. "Monstrous, isn't it?" Aun'Vesa murmured as he looked on in a mixture of both fascination and horror. "What the gue'la will do to other species for merely being different from them?" Shan'Ta looked across at Aun'Vesa, before returning his gaze to the medics doing surgery, his own face reflected in the glass that kept the pair separated from the doctors and their patient. As he saw his face, he couldn't ignore the fact that he had gotten visibly older, the new wrinkles that criss-crossed his face were almost mocking him with how numerous and wide spread they had become. "The gue'la are not like us, Ethereal. It would be easy to consign their whole race to the damnation that such an act warrants, but we must remember that this was the work of an individual, and it is those individuals that must be removed for the Greater Good to reach those worthy to hear it.” Shan’Ta sighed, running his hands across his face, softly tracing a deep scar that ran above his right eye, very narrowly missing the fragile orb. "I remember a day on the ruined world of Sorbombosa, the Necron beings had appeared while my assault cadre and I were tasked with retrieving a vital Earth Caste data drone containing the layout of the planet, data that was vital for destroying the Necrons. I had a large group of Gue'vesa guarding my right flank in the battle. We managed to drive the Necrons back and retrieve the data drone, but at a great cost, and it is thanks to those brave Gue’vesa. To my shame I only managed to save a few of them, but their sacrifice allowed me to retake the world.” “Yes, I suppose we should remember that not all gue'la are like this, but the ones who join us, whatever their motivations, tend to be more the exception than the rule." Aun’Vesa took a deep sigh as he looked back at Applejack on the operating table. "I do wonder though; when she wakes do you think she will request a cloned eye, a cybernetic implant, or an eyepatch to replace her lost eye? I know some amongst the Fire Caste tend to wear eyepatches as a mark of pride, even if they'd be better off with a prosthetic.” "From what she has been through, I think that she should be able to decide for herself what she wants, Ethereal,” Shan’Ta shrugged. “Forgive me for saying this, but as we do not know her species fully yet, it would be wrong for us to impress any of the options on her. Perhaps the loss of a part of herself is a sign of great shame, or a sign of weakness, to their species. I know for the fact that the Klak-Ek from the Oobera system see the loss of a body part as the greatest of dishonours, so great even that they some resort to suicide in order to keep their clan from shame." Shan’Ta paused, glancing across to the life support monitors, the readouts all signalling that Applejack was still stable. A small smile crossed his face, before he looked directly at Aun’Vesa. "My advice to you, Ethereal, would be to have the Water Caste to ask what she wants, but that is just the advice from an old warrior." “That was my intent, but it is good to see you share my thoughts on the matter,” Aun’Vesa nodded, before turning away from the window and entering a small side room, beckoning for Shan’Ta to follow him, before looking at his honour guard. “Please, leave us for a moment, I desire to speak to the Shas’O in private. Please inform security that I wish for the cameras in this room to be deactivated.” The guard nodded in understanding, before turning and walking out of the room, the door sliding shut behind him. A few seconds later the red light on the camera in the corner blinked out of existence as the camera was switched off. Aun’Vesa waited for a few more seconds, before taking a seat at the table in the room and motioning for Shan’Ta to join him. “What I am about to ask of you is not strictly protocol, Shan’Ta, and if you would feel uncomfortable not answering then I understand, but before I ask I need your word that you will tell me the truth, not simply what I want to hear.” “Of course, my ethereal,” Shan’Ta nodded. “Am I a good leader? Am I helping to give our forces the best chances of success upon this world?" Aun’Vesa asked, his voice heavy with uncertainty. "I am an Ethereal, many look to me and expect me to have all the answers, and I have to do my best to give them, and must live by my decisions even if they turn out to be wrong. They don't see that I am still young, my species of birth setting me apart as their leader, not any innate skill.” "We all make mistakes, Ethereal, it is part of being in command. I have made many in my life, many of those have cost lives which could have been avoided if I had made the right decision in the first place. It is easy to reflect on the past and dwell on the paths not taken, but all we can do is move forward, learn from our experiences, and make sure that we never repeat the mistakes of old again. Being in command is both a blessing and a curse, Ethereal. On one hand I have a large part to play in the Greater Good and the shaping of our Empire, but the price is steep sometimes, and it does leave scars, some which are too deep to ever fully heal.” Shan'Ta took up a very old picture from his jumpsuit as he spoke, placing it on the table and showing it to the Ethereal. The picture showed a very young Shan'Ta standing upon the blasted rubble of a ruined city. Around him were five more Tau, all of whom had removed their helmets as well, all proudly sporting the rank markings of Shas’La on their shoulder pads. Only Shan’Ta bore a different mark, wearing the mark of Shas’Ui with obvious pride. "I can still remember their names, my first Fire Warrior team I led to battle, we never intended to take a picture, but one of the local gue'la who we had saved that day wanted to make help us remember that moment that we showed her the light of the Greater Good. To this day I still thank that gue'la for handing this piece of memory to me, because I see it as a reminder to strive for something greater than myself, and it allows me to remember those I first led to their deaths.” Shan’Ta sighed, picking the picture up and slipping it back inside his jumpsuit again before continuing. “So to answer your question, Ethereal, no, I do not think you are a bad leader. I would not say you are great yet, but that is just because you have much left to learn, youth is working against you. Ensure that you learn from your mistakes, for the betterment of all, and for the Greater Good.” “Thank you, Shan’Ta,” Aun’Vesa nodded thoughtfully. "We rarely spoke prior to now during both Planetary Campaigns, and then I come to you with this, burdening you with my own self-doubt. I also apologise for the tones of both our prior meetings, I may be young but I could still sense your annoyance at my words, a disgruntled acceptance of them even. I want you to know that when I was sent to Styro to first join you I wished to bring reinforcements with me, but the choice was removed from my hands. I also realise that my request to rescue Applejack at the cost of our speed on other fronts was brash, maybe even reckless, but she is of great importance to the Tau Empire. She could be the key to helping us gain access to the webway, or to help us bring the Eldar to the negotiating table.” “If she is so important, then why let her become a member of the Fire caste?” Shan’Ta asked. “Surely she could have been redeployed after Styro on a safer world.” “As much as I hate to admit it, she forced my hand. Her sense of honour and a measure of survivor’s guilt made her adamant that she would learn to fight. She did not want to stand idly by while others died around her. It is an admiral trait she has, one that many do not possess, but it is not always driven by logic.” "I can't blame you for having our supply and reinforcement lines being stretched thin, it is beyond your control, Ethereal. Nor can I blame you for wanting to rescue Applejack from the humans, even more so if she is as potentially helpful to the Empire as you say. The only thing I can begrudge you for even in the slightest is the way you relayed the orders. If you wish to order someone around concisely, they will do it, but they may not be happy about it. I remember my teacher at the academy told me something that helps me from time to time, and it could help you; ‘In desperate times you cannot lose control, for only then have you really lost the battle’. Now that may have been said hundreds of years ago, but I believe the meaning behind it still holds true.” “Centuries?” Aun’Vesa asked. “It always surprises me when I hear of your age, Shan’Ta, very few are put into stasis for as long as you. If you do not mind me asking, how old are you, in total?” “Old enough to remember when Aun’Wei launched the Second Sphere expansion,” Shan’Ta admitted. “I was just a Shas’La when I first left T’au, but by the time we had gotten to Pa’Laa I was an O. It was Aun’Wei’s will that I be preserved in stasis for future conflicts, I guess the Third Sphere of expansion would qualify.” “Thank you, Shan’Ta,” Aun’Vesa nodded as he stood up. “You have been most helpful to me, but I believe we should finish our little informal meeting, I have no doubt that my guard is getting restless not knowing what I am doing, he’s loyal like that.” Shan’Ta also rose from the table, opening the door and allowing Aun’Vesa to leave first, before following him out, giving one last glance to Applejack, before heading for the door to the outside, turning just before he walked through it. “I must asked to be excused, Ethereal, I am sure many matters still need my seeing to.” “Of course, Shas’O,” Aun’Vesa nodded, Shan’Ta turning and walking outside, clambering up the side of his Crisis suit to the cockpit, before the door slid shut and he was lost to Aun’Vesa’s sight. “Was your conversation with the Shas’O productive, sir?” Aun’Vesa’s guard asked. “It was, very much so,” Aun’Vesa walked over to the window as he spoke. “Now, we must wait for the medical personnel to finish their work, and to see what can be salvaged of Applejack’s mind.” *** Applejack let out a choked cry as she woke up, immediately panicking as she found she couldn’t see anything, her mind going into overdrive when she found out she was also strapped down, unable to rise more than a few centimetres off the bed she was on before being stopped. After a few tense moments of panic and hyperventilating she lay back down, forcing herself to be calm as she tried to make sense of her situation. The last thing she remembered was seeing a Tau Stealth Suit materialise in front of her. Before that she had been in the Mechanicus Crawler, and later on, bunker, had managed to break free and had been forced to kill… “Ko’roc?” she whispered softly, the full weight of her actions now crashing down on her as her memories flashed back. “No… Ko’roc, ah’m sorry, ah didn’t mean to kill you, ah didn’t, ah didn’t, ah…” Applejack began to choke as she struggled to breath, an annoying beeping somewhere nearby speeding up as she heard a commotion nearby. “She’s awake! Get a doctor in here, she’s going into cardiac arrest,” the voice sounded urgent as Applejack felt a pair of hands pushing her down onto the bed. “Calm down, you’ll only hurt yourself.” “Ah didn’t mean to do it!” Applejack shook her head, beginning to buck and kick as best she could. “Why…why can’t ah see anything?! She only took one eye! Gah!” Applejack suddenly felt herself getting sleepier, and was dimly aware of a second voice coming from nearby. “That was too close, we nearly lost her there. I want her closely monitored, the next time she comes round, I want us by her side.” “Ko’roc…ah’m…sorry,” Applejack muttered, before falling asleep once more. *** The next time Applejack awoke she didn’t panic, forcing herself to be calm as she turned her from side to side, trying to see anything. Now she was a bit calmer she could see that she wasn’t completely blind, and was able to make out the faintest traces of light around her right eye. Her left eye wasn’t able to see anything, but Applejack already knew why that was. “Applejack, can you hear me?” a voice asked. “Y-Yes,” she croaked in reply, turning her head towards the sound of the voice. “W-Where…where…” “Where are you? The voice guessed. “You are safe, Applejack, you were brought in to our secure medical facility by one of our stealth teams. You have been unconscious for two days following twenty two hours of surgery. You woke up earlier today, but were hysterical and we had to give you anaesthetic once more to calm you down. Do you remember that?” “Barely,” Applejack croaked, her throat feeling drier than the Appaloosan Desert. “Can ah…have some water? Please?” “Of course,” the voice was accompanied by Applejack feeling a straw being pressed against her lips. “Now you must be sure to drink slo…” Applejack didn’t listen, gulping down as much of the water as she could before the straw was pulled away. “Slowly, Applejack, you will do more harm than good if you gulp it down like that.” The next time the straw was presented to her she followed the advice given to her, taking small controlled sips until she finished the water, her throat feeling a bit better now. “Why can’t ah see?” she asked hesitantly as the straw was taken away, not sure if she wanted to hear the answer. “How…how much do you remember from your time in captivity?” the voice sounded nervous. “Ah know mah left eye is gone, if that’s what ya mean?” Applejack all but whispered. “We had to open up the socket, the stitches were put in badly and infection had set in. It was easier for us to put the bandages over both rather attempting to simply bandage one side of your head.” “Can…can you take ‘em off for me? The bandages?” “I’m not sure if that’s wise or not, Applejack.” “Please, ah want to see somethin’ that isn’t grey or red.” “Very well.” Applejack could feel hands near her head, slowly unwinding the bandages around her head, making the light in her right eye grow in brightness, before the final layer was removed. Instinctively, Applejack scrunched her eye closed, protecting it from the sudden amount of light, before she forced it to open a crack, light streaming in, bringing with it something she never thought she would see again. Blue. The sky specifically, or at least a screen that was showing an image of a perfectly clear sky, the sky on the actual planet hadn’t been blue for millennia. Finally Applejack’s eye was fully opened, and she looked around, finally seeing the Tau who was standing over her, a reassuring smile on her face. “Welcome back to the land of the living, Applejack,” she smiled. “Get me a mirror,” Applejack’s voice had lost all trace of emotion suddenly, before she looked down at the straps holding her to the bed. “And undo these bucking straps!” “Applejack, I can’t do that,” the doctor shook her head. “Please! Ah don’t want to be tied down! Not again! Please!” Applejack began to hyperventilate again, the heartrate monitor picking up speed before the Tau lay a hand on her chest. “Ok, Applejack, calm yourself. If you promise me that you will not get out of bed, I will undo the straps.” “Ah promise,” Applejack nodded, the Tau hesitating for a moment, before slowly reaching over and undoing the straps. “I am sorry that we had to strap you down in the first place, Applejack, but we were worried that you might be violent towards the medical staff, we had to be sure you wouldn’t hurt us, or yourself.” Applejack nodded as she sat up, propping herself up against the back of the bed and looking at the Tau once again. “Please…can ah have that mirror?” “That may not be the best idea, Applejack,” Aun’Vesa shook his head as he entered the room. “Please, allow the doctor to…” “Mirror,” Applejack all but sobbed, tears beginning to roll down her cheek. “Ah want to see what ah look like.” “Very well,” Aun’Vesa nodded, looking at the doctor and giving another nod. The doctor sighed, before walking across the room, picking up a small mirror and bringing it back over, slowly moving it up so Applejack could see her reflection for the first time in weeks. Her fur was mattered and patchy, large chunks missing entirely, revealing red raw flesh beneath, while the remainder had lost its vibrant orange tinge, now being far duller with flecks of grey and white showing through in small areas. Her mane was an absolute mess, but Applejack didn’t care about that. All she cared about was the massive scar that covered the left side of her face, going right through the sewn closed empty socket. Applejack nearly threw up there and then, and might well have done so if she actually had anything in her stomach to regurgitate. As it was all she could do was dry wretch a few times, before descending into a coughing fit, her entire body convulsing before she finally managed to control herself and forced herself to be still. She didn’t speak for a minute, leading to Aun’Vesa turning to the doctor. “Do you have anything else that needs your direct attendance for, doctor?” “No, Ethereal,” she shook her head. “I would not normally leave the patient alone, but as I assume you would like to talk to her in private, I will give you the room.” “I am much obliged,” Aun’Vesa nodded as the doctor left the room, before he turned back to Applejack. “Mah hooves are dirty now, Ethereal,” she whispered ever so softly. “Nonsense, whatever happened to you has not dirtied your hooves in the slightest,” Aun’Vesa shook his head. “Ah killed my friend,” she shook her head. “He was alive when ah was escaping, he asked me to do it, and ah…ah…” Applejack couldn’t finish, descending into a flood of tears, Aun’Vesa stroking her mane as she cried, before she finally stopped, her eye narrowing. “Ah did kill Fonteyn, didn’t ah?” “Fonteyn? She was the human responsible for…this, correct?” Aun’Vesa asked. “Yeah, she was,” Applejack growled, her temper rising. “Tell me ah ended her miserable life…that she suffered…that…” “That’s enough, Applejack,” Aun’Vesa chided her softly. “Yes, she is dead, but you must not allow anger to overcome you, else you will never move on.” “She’s dead, that’s all I care about,” Applejack growled again, trying to remain angry, but the knowledge of her torturer’s demise by her own hooves had taken the wind out of her sails completely, and she slumped back into the pillows of the bed. “Ah killed her with mah hoof, not a weapon, just with me. She was mah…mah first proper kill.” "Not in the battle for the star port?” Aun’Vesa asked in surprise. “No,” Applejack shook her head. “Ah aimed fer guns, ah didn’t want to kill, but when it came to Fonteyn…it was like I wasn’t me anymore, like ah was somehow…” “Different,” Aun’Vesa finished for her. “Yeah.” “I understand,” Aun’Vesa nodded. “The first kill is rarely easy. My first was a Tyranid, barely more than a beast, but it taught me that sometimes killing is not only right, it is essential. By the time I moved on from the battlefield to fight against the Orks, I knew what had to be done. The Green Skins are monstrous, but they are more like us than the Tyranids are. When I encountered my first human, I didn’t hesitate. The humans are more like us than any other race in the galaxy, but they too must sometimes be pruned back so that our Empire may grow, just as a tree must sometimes be cut down to make way for the orchard. Fonteyn was most certainly one of the ones who had to be pruned. You have done the universe a service by removing her from its surface.” “Yeah, but ah wasn’t doing it for the universe,” Applejack shook her head. “Ah wanted her dead cause of what she’d done to me. Does that…ah’m not bad ‘cause of that…am ah?” “No, no you’re not,” Aun’Vesa replied firmly. “And I would not have you thinking that way. No matter what you go through, Applejack, I do not believe you will ever be anything but what I have always seen you as. A paragon.” “But do yah even know what ah went through?” Applejack whispered. “If yah did, maybe…” “I do not know what you went through,” Aun’Vesa cut her off, producing a human datapad, placing it beside Applejack’s bed. “The stealth team that recovered you looked around the bunker for useful intel before they pulled out, and they found this. It’s…research notes. I believed it was best that I, along with the supervising doctors, read it, to best find out what had happened for you and how to help you.” “Let me see,” Applejack looked at the datapad with equal parts fear and determination. “Ah…ah can take it, just let me see. “If you would like my opinion, I not think it would be wise for you to read this, lest you open up the wounds caused by the memories,” he began, before holding up a hand. “But, if I were in your position, I would want to know what was going through the head of the one who did this to me. Maybe it will help you come to terms with things a bit more. If you would like to read it, the option is there, I will not stop you, but I will remain here in case it is all too much.” Applejack nodded, shakily extending a hoof and picking up the datapad, turning it on and beginning to read. Day One Subject thirty two has been apprehended. Initial observations and scans show that it is certainly similar to our own horses, but with several key differences, most notably in its legs. It has far more joints in them than most creatures I have seen in my time, suggesting that they can bend to angles beyond that of a normal horse, and may give the subject some degree of manipulation of large objects. Clearly this would not be as great as the manipulation afforded by fingers, but it is a step up from almost every animal I have seen. I do not know yet whether or not it can speak gothic, or any language for that matter, but the fact that it was fighting alongside the Tau shows at least some form of communication has been possible. I will continue my observations until she awakes tomorrow. Praise the Omnisiah, Praise the Emperor of Man Day Two The subject awoke today and I finally manage to speak to it. It is actually a she, her name is Applejack, and she is by her own word, an ‘Earth Pony’. She did not initially wish to speak much, and her tolerance to pain rivals that of some Orks that I have seen, but after pumping a small amount of Kalma vapour into her holding cell, she soon revealed what I wanted to hear. She is indeed related to the creature who attacked and helped destroy outpost on Omega-88757109, a creature she referred to as ‘Rainbow Dash’, another inhabitant of her world, but of a different strain. The wings on her back, far from being mechanical as we first believed, are reportedly biological, owing to her status as a ‘Pegasus’. Their race also seems to have psykers, but I do not believe that Applejack poses any threat through the warp. Nevertheless all other examinations will be done in hexagramic warded cells. The strangest thing by far however is the fact that she knows low and high gothic, and can switch between them in an instant, without even knowing that she is speaking them. When pressed, she did not believe she was speaking our glorious language, and instead believed I was debasing my tongue to speak to her in T’au. I do not yet know where this ability comes from, but once I have learnt all I can while she is living, I will endeavour to find out more in an autopsy. Other observations include her ability to pick things up with her seemingly flat hooves, her pain tolerance and will to resist, although her drug tolerance is far lower than that of an Ork with comparable pain resilience, and her eyes, which take up far more of her head and are far wider than any other creatures. These may be useful in the future. Praise the Omnisiah, Praise the Emperor of Man Day Three Subject thirty two refused to cooperate today when she was brought back in, clearly the Kalma had fully flushed from her system. When more was introduced she seemed resistant to it, as if she had already built up an immunity to small doses of the drug. Rather than exposing her to higher concentrations of the drug, and risking her becoming dependant on it and therefore souring my findings on her pain tolerance, I resorted to more barbaric and to the point methods. Subject twenty seven was brought before her, and his life threatened if she did not answer my questions. I had hoped that seeing a Tau in danger would spark some form of kinship in her, but she refused to talk. Subject twenty seven is no longer viable for testing, and has been moved to incineration for disposal. Since she would not cooperate, I moved subject thirty two to my laboratory and began to have a closer inspection of her hooves. As I speculated from early scans, they are very prehensile, as well as being able to pick things up when she was inclined or the right nerves were stimulated. Initial results are less than satisfactory, and I may have to cut deeper than skin deep in future. For now she has been returned to her cell, and seems to be conversing more with subject two, ‘Ko’roc’. I will allow this friendship to grow for now, and use it to further break subject thirty two’s will to resist. This, coupled with sleep deprivation, should make the subject much more malleable in the future. Praise the Omnisiah, Praise the Emperor of Man Day Seven As predicted, subject thirty two has begun to deteriorate rapidly after subject two was broken. Their friendship, while a boon at the beginning, has now become her curse. The sleep deprivation is still on going, although now it is less to break her and more to see how long she can keep going. No mortal can survive being awake for as long as she has for more than ten days, I am keen to find out if this subject will be the same, or as I believe, break this record. She has been trying to starve herself for the past day and a half now, both from food and water, not touching any of the sustenance given to her for the last day and a half, necessitating a feeding tube to be inserted. From observations she seemed to have comparable levels of tolerance for starvation and dehydration as a human did. Consequently I will not be exploring this avenue of her physiology as the risk of losing her prematurely outweighs the potential knowledge she would give us. Praise the Omnisiah, Praise the Emperor of Man Day Thirteen The study of subject thirty two’s hooves has passed its first stage of completion, I believe I have learnt all I can from the studies available to me. Stage two will begin after the vivisection. The subject has now stayed awake for longer than any creature I have ever seen, barring the Adeptus Astartes of course. I will continue to deprive her of sleep until she too drops. I do not see that happening before the vivisection. Praise the Omnisiah, Praise the Emperor of Man Day Fourteen I removed subject thirty two’s left eye today, her spirit is well and truly broken, as she barely struggled when I approached her with the scalpel. She did surprise me however part way through the experiment when she managed to break the restraining strap around her forehead and flailed about wildly. Luckily the eye itself escaped damage, but she will now have a very large scar across her face. Not that it matters, she will not be caring for such things for much longer. After the operation, she was placed back in her cell, where she, like so many others, has become increasingly lethargic, necessitating more intense observations. I am glad I did, as shortly after being returned to the cell, she went into complete cardiac shutdown. I have managed to stabilise her for now, but it is a good job that the vivisection is planned for tomorrow. After studying the audio logs from her cell, I have discovered the words she spoke prior to this were simply ‘Rainbow’. This is presumably in reference to the creature, Rainbow Dash, which stands to reason, as by her own words, they are friends. Subject thirty two will have the rest of the day to recover, the vivisection is slated for 0600 tomorrow morning. As a final test of her abilities, I will not be using anaesthetic, it is imperative that she is awake and alive during this operation for as long as possible. I do not know when or if I will get to study another of her kind, but I feel as though I have learnt all I can from this one subject. Theirs is a fascinating race, as I will show when I present all of my findings. Praise the Omnisiah, Praise the Emperor of Man Applejack finally stopped reading, tears streaming down the right half of her face as she dropped the datapad on the floor. “I did advise against this, Applejack,” Aun’Vesa pointed out. “No, ah’m glad ah read it,” Applejack shook her head, her eye narrowing as she glared ahead. “Fonteyn…ah was just a test subject to her, she made notes on me. If she wasn’t already dead ah swear ah’d kill her.” “Applejack, please control your temper,” Aun’Vesa warned. “It will lead to nothing good, I promise you.” “Of course, Ethereal,” Applejack nodded, before lying down in the bed once more. “Ah…ah think ah want to sleep on all this, if ya don’t mind?” “Of course not,” Aun’Vesa shook his head, standing up. “I will ensure there is a drone stationed within your room in case the worst happens, but I will otherwise give instructions that you are to be given bed rest until you are able to be helped further. You may take all the time you need, Applejack, no one expects you to get over this quickly.” With that, Aun’Vesa closed the door, turning the light off and leaving Applejack in the dark. Applejack slowly closed her eye, drifting off into a fitful sleep, filled with nightmares of the experiments, her brutal murder of Fonteyn, and the mercy killing of Ko’roc.