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+--- Thread: The Siren, Part Deux (/showthread.php?tid=76218)
The Siren, Part Deux - Akura - 03-09-2012
Mykolaiv Research Station, Omega-52
"I heard he keeps a pet ocelot"
"Nyet, I was a lynx, it doesn't have spots"
"Ocelots don't have spots, it's small too, it's definitely an ocelot"
"Pretty sure it's a lynx, JiangXi doesn't have any native ocelots"
"It doesn't matter, point is, the guy is crazy, half a McIntosh if you ask me"
"I wouldn't let anyone else hear you saying that, I'm not losing my post over your nonsense"
"Shh, he's here!"
The two armed guards ceased their conversation and straightened up.
A senior officer in a smart uniform passed them, followed by two other men. The senior officer was General Franklin Salamanca visiting on behalf of the military, and at his side, Lt. Colonel Viktor Sokolov, commander of the SCDI. The last man, in a fancy grey suit was Joseph Lazarev, the eyes and ears of the civilian government of the Coalition.
Briskly, they swept through the halls of the research station, approaching a large armoured door. Usually, one would have to prove their identity and provide adequate clearance before it would allow entry, but for these particular guests, a man behind a camera remotely popped the door open for them to enter.
Inside, was a large spherical chamber, with a suspended cell in the very middle, allowing no entry without extending a bridge. Around the outside of the chamber was a series of labs and computer servers, allowing safe study of the contents of the cell.
A man and a woman in lab-coats approached the trio, extending their hands as a courtesy.
"Hello, I'm Doctor Matilda Brown, theoretical Physics and xenopology, and this is Doctor Kurt Caesera, he's the medical knowledge behind the project"
Sokolov and Lazarev shook their hands silently, as Salamanca spoke,
"And what project was so important that it got bumped up the priority list at such short notice?"
"Well sir" Dr Caesera spoke, "For the last six months, we've kept a live, Nomad prisoner"
Sokolov commented this time, "What kind of Nomad Prisoner?"
Caesera indicated to the suspended cell in the center of the chamber, "We believe her to be Amy Masako, the notorious Wild Siren, leader of the Aoi Iseijin"
The Siren, Part Deux - Vape - 03-09-2012
Sokolov looked at Caesera, masking his surprise. "Quite a dangerous specimen to have on hand" he remarked coldly.
"Regardless, how did you come by this prisoner?" he inquired of the doctors, his right hand brushing the grip of his sidearm.
Caesera met Sokolov's gaze "Six months ago a fighter patrol was involved in a skirmish in Omega 47 with the Wilde" he began.
"The prisoner stayed in combat while her comrades withdrew, her ship was destroyed" he continued.
"Her escape pod was recovered and she was placed in isolation" he finished.
Sokolov removed his hand from his sidearm, keeping it nearby in case he would need to draw it rapidly.
"Interesting, I would have expected the pilot to have self-destructed rather than face capture" he commented, allowing himself a brief moment to wonder about its implications.
"My next question is this, what have you learned from the prisoner?" he asked.
The Siren, Part Deux - Akura - 03-09-2012
"Not much I'm afraid, she hasn't said a word since she was shot down" Dr Brown said, turning to face the cell, "We've been careful when studying her, external scans and drug tests for example, not much else we can do without the higher ups deciding whether it's worth the risk"
"And of the little you have learned?" Sokolov inquired,
"Her scans came up negative for a Nomad Symbiote" Caesera explained, "Her blood work and tissue samples show definite signs of Nomad alteration though, I've never seen anything like... this"
"How can you be sure she's not a threat?" asked Salamanca, a look of concern on his aging face,
"Well, with Nomads, there are delicate scans you can perform to determine if and when a single Nomad is directly connecting with the rest of the collective, but she hasn't shown any signs of telepathy, or communication at all, though we're not sure if she's just incapable of doing so without a symbiote"
"She's been rather passive actually, besides defending herself from the marines when we collect tissue or blood, she's been docile" Dr Brown cut in, "All she does is sit and watch us, besides eating and sleeping. I've been trying to understand her behavior, but it's completely unlike normal human psychology. Why she didn't try to prevent her capture, fight back, escape, I cant understand, she doesn't seem happy about being here, but she doesn't seem to be in a rush to leave either"
The Siren, Part Deux - Vape - 03-10-2012
Sokolov turned to Dr. Brown "You're 100% sure she is not using telepathy?"
Brown nodded in response.
Glancing at General Salamanca, Sokolov returned his gaze to the cell.
"I wish to speak with her" he stated.
"I don't know what you'll get out of her, as I said, she's not talked since she got here"
"We can introduce an airbourne sedative into the cell, to keep her calm and docile incase she gets agressive" Dr Caesera explained, "Though I suggest you take a couple of marines in with you"
"This is preposterous, she's an alien agent, you should not enter that cell until we've had a chance to discuss the situation fully" Lazarev scolded, eyeing the cell with a mixture of fear and disgust,
"I don't intend on interrogating her, at least not yet anyways" Sokolov snapped defensively,
"We cannot risk a potential security risk as a result of your impatience!"
"That's enough Joseph!" Salamanca spoke, "The subject is a military prisoner, Sokolov may speak with her, but he is not disturb the ongoing studies or harm the prisoner"
The Siren, Part Deux - Akura - 03-10-2012
As per Viktor Solokov's request, the extending bridge to the cell was extended, and Solokov switched his sidearm for a pulse pistol. Signalling to two of the chamber's guarding marines, he crossed the bridge and stopped on the platform on the other side.
Dr Caesera moved his hands adeptly across the control panel for the cell's security systems, withdrawing the bridge before unlocking the cell door for Solokov to enter.
"Okay, you're got the green to enter, we'll be watching and listening from the security station" Caesera explained through the chamber's intercoms.
General Salamanca stood and watched from the foot of the bridge, his feet apart and his arms clasped behind his back. Lazarev sat behind the two doctors, watching the security feed nervously.
Solokov, opened the cell door with his left hand, resting his right hand comfortably on his pulse pistol. Amy Masako was sat in the very center of the cell, equally spaced away from her bed, her desk, and the small door leading to a bathroom. In her lap, was a copy of Bretonian Poetry, 6th Century Edition.
She didn't look up when Solokov entered, or when he spoke.
The Siren, Part Deux - Vape - 03-12-2012
"Who are you?" Solokov questioned, fixing his eyes on the prisoner.
Masako did not speak, she gently moved her left hand to turn the page of the book she was reading. Solokov tightened his grip on the pulse pistol.
"I will ask you one more time. Who are you?"
"I am Amelia Komatsuzaki, better known by the human colonies and the Order as Amy Masako" Amy responded, not raising her gaze from the book.
"Good" Sokolov replied, loosening his grip on the pulse pistol. "Now do you recall how you were brought here?"
"I was engaged in combat with four Coalition fighters, they shot my Chimaera down" she replied.
The Siren, Part Deux - Akura - 03-12-2012
"Your memory is sound then, so you work for the nomads?"
"A long time ago, yes, I worked for the Nomads"
"Why?"
"Short question for such a long answer. You'll have to be more specific"
"You don't work for them now?"
Amy paused before answering, turning her attention from the pages of her book, to Sokolov's eyes, "No, I don't. I am one"
"No, I don't"
"No you don't, or no you won't?"
"No, I don't. You see, I'm no longer connected"
"To the Nomads? You told me you were one of them"
"By definition, I am"
"Cease these games or I will see you jetissoned into space"
"You misjudge your own value."
"You misunderstand exactly who and what I am"
"Then give me a reason to let you live"
"I don't need to, I came here to die"
The Siren, Part Deux - Vape - 03-12-2012
"And why is that exactly?" Sokolov loosened the grip on his sidearm, Amy's reply catching him totally offguard,
"I am one hundred and ninety seven years old, I am the oldest living human being in Sirius, outside of the influence of cardamine. One of the benefits of Nomad infection, is longevity, but there is a certain point where the mind outlives the body. I am tired, my purpose is served, I do not fear death, I am ready to die"
"What was your purpose"
"At first, I observed. I explored humanity, from the highest heights of human wealth, to the deepest, darkest depths of the poor. I infiltrated military and government organisations, I learned twisted truths and shaded secrets, and I relayed them back to the Nomads. In return, they shared their knowledge of the universe with me. I felt as they did, I shared their thoughts, plans and emotions"
"You continued this until humanity finally stumbled upon the Nomads?"
"That is correct, yes. It didn't matter how much knowledge I shared with them, they still struggled to understand humanity, the human self defence mechanism, the fear of being destroyed. Humanity fought the Nomads, there was much pain and loss on both sides"
"Why do they struggle to understand mortality?"
"The Nomads are ageless, their minds are strong because they are completely open to each other, all of the time. Humans are like closed boxes to the Nomads, accidents of evolution who lash out at things they don't understand. The Nomads didn't understand us, and we didn't understand them, so each action taken lead to hostility"
"So you were no longer useful to them?"
"Not exactly, I was always useful to them, beyond outliving my original purpose. I raised Tekagi's Remnants from ashes, I killed hundreds upon thousands of our enemies, I commanded armies against those who were foolish enough to stand in my way. But, there is a limit to what a person can go through, fighting the same war for the same reason for so long... it changes you"
The Siren, Part Deux - Akura - 03-12-2012
"Changes you in what way?"
"You begin to question the point of it all. I've done more than enough for the Nomads, I am ready to move on, I am ready to die"
"My question is this: do you regret your actions or do you believe they were justified?""
"I do not regret anything that I did, my actions never deviated from those of my enemies. I did as other humans did, only under the flag of the Nomads. When humans fight Nomads and when humans fight humans, mankind still suffers a loss, such conflict is common across Sirius, the Nomads are no more violent or morally different than any other group. My actions were as jusitifed as any other soldier's"
"Did you ever kill without purpose"
"Every kill had a purpose. Even the Nomads do not kill for the sake of killing"
"Good" Sokolov backed away from the center of the room, pressing his left hand on a fingerprint scanner, opening the cell door, "I've heard enough, we will speak again"
"I look forward to it" Amy spoke without emotion, returning her attention to her poetry.