Bio-Booster Armor Guyver is Copyrighted to Yoshiki Takaya and Tokuma Shoten Publishing Co in Japan and is trade marked to VIZ Communications Inc.. I am using the characters and ideas without permission but am not making any money from this. This fictional work does belong to me.
***
Text Key
:: :: Telepathic Conversation (Advent or Guyver Link Conversation)
^ ^ Over Mind (It will make sense)
# # Conversation that can be heard but not understood (Remember the Terran Guyvers can understand all languages now, so the not understanding bit applies to others.)
***
The Conquered
By Jade Tatsu
Chapter XII - Interrogation
***
Our return to Merrimu was celebrated but it was subdued. I think word had gotten around of what had been done to the attacking Jraewy fleet. It was extreme and while I understand the reasoning the practice left a lot to be desired. I know, I have seen since the proof that has illustrated that we couldn't have done anything else because they were Jraewy but that does not mean I do not think that it was a complete waste of life. Even Sho was somewhat horrified at what he had done once the time had come to consider his actions. Makishima and Aptom remained as stoic as always.
Returning to Merrimu meant that we could all catch up on history. Maxwell, it seemed had been very busy on Earth and our own exploits at the Interstellar Meeting while not as beneficial were also important. Everyone had to know where we stood. Everything had changed because the universe now knew the true us and races like the Jraewy were just waiting for the chance.
Secrecy... Merrimu had not known our destination when we had first left and we then had nothing but vague plans to return. It was thought that such action would allow the Relocation Project some degree of safety but this had been proven incorrect. The absolute secrecy we had engaged in was disregarded and lines of communication were kept open. After all, through our Guyver Units we had the means to talk with a greater degree of security, thus keeping in contact with Merrimu , the Relocation Arks and ourselves. The Guyver link wasn't completely infallible since Natsuki could only be on one Ark at any given time and Hayami was often too preoccupied with the weather conditions to pay complete attention to the settlement. However for the moment it was adequate.
***
#" Alkard !"# Makishima barked directly at the Wesodin , #"What do you know about the Jraewy ?"#
The red Guyver Warrior looked hesitant but at after a reassuring touch from Mizuki he shook his head. #"Not a lot. They are technologists though and I don't think I've ever seen a Guyver Jraewy . That doesn't mean they don't exist but..."# He shrugged, the gesture something he had learnt in his brief time aboard. #"They've been in space for a very long time but aren't considered dangerous. That's about all I know."#
#"A lovely text book definition,"# Makishima rolled his eyes. #"Oh well... We'll just have to do this the hard way."#
They had returned to Merrimu with very little fan fare. Independence and Perseverance had grappled with the wounded ship Hope and landed gently, touching down with a precision that could be attributed to their semi sentient state. The Arks weren't Advent's. The closest you could call them was clones but they were clones grown around human structures and moulded to human needs. They were alive but they had no self-knowledge. ‘I think, therefore I am,' was not something they knew. They did not think, they merely computed. They had been built as beasts of burden and that was all they were. But it still did not mean that they should be in pain.
Hope was in docks and already many of the refugees to the planet had volunteered to work on the repair crews around the clock. The ship had saved them but it could still save many others. It would be ready to fly out when the others were reprovisioned and fully off loaded.
The captured Jraewy had been confined in several buildings under guard but were now arrayed before their questioners. While there was some hatred towards them, it was controlled. It's hard to maintain hatred against a race that has killed a handful when the true battle is against one that had killed millions, even if that race was before you. Besides, Rodriguez had chosen soldiers he trusted.
Rodriguez was present, as were Natsuki and Samuel, the later looking rather tired. It appeared Merrimu did not agree with him and while he still did his duties he had become rather withdrawn. There were several other leaders from the new communities present so that they could disseminate the information to the settlers. The Jraewy were merely the representation of danger and as such everyone needed to know about them. Hayami was absent since the shifting weather conditions required his attention and a sudden storm had blown in, threatening the docks and the ship within. Makishima was present, as was everyone who had been attendee's of the Interstellar Meeting, and even though they weren't present, Sensitives could feel the soft touch of both Mirai and Eternity , silently watching the proceedings. Sho and Tetsuro had the job of translating what was said since despite their efforts, the Advents had been unable to transfer knowledge of languages into the Terran Zoanoids.
"Let's begin then," Makishima muttered darkly as he stepped forward. He was dressed in a plain black uniform - oddly reminiscent of the clothes he had worn on the day of God's Ascension. It was unadorned and combined with his slicked back black hair gave him an almost sinister look, one of strict professionalism. He looked around at the gathered captives. "We have decided to question you in a group," he stated coldly in Basic knowing they would understand. "That way, you can all respond to the questions and we can dispense with you all making up stories. You can also see the consequences of lying to us. You are going to tell us the truth because believe me when I say I will know if you lie to me and you will not like the consequences. Do you understand?"
There were a few general murmurs of assent from the captives and a few of them looked at each other nervously before they settled back into blank stares.
"Fine," Makishima drawled. "I'll start with the simple stuff. Names and ranks." The frosty look he directed at them was enough to cross the species barrier but the Jraewy remained silent.
A half smile graced Agito's features at the lack of response. Zoanoids were like that, hell, the Rebellion's human troops had been like this but he always got his answers. "Ah... My apologies. I cannot expect you to give me your names when I have not volunteered mine," he began with a semblance of good humour. "My name is Makishima Agito ," he introduced himself, ignoring the blank stares that continued to greet him. "I am the Emperor of Terra."
His self-proclaimed title brought a few hastily covered laughs from several of the guards. They did not speak basic but the words were self explanatory in their language - 'Emperor of Terror.' For a man who had betrayed almost everyone, it was a suitable title.
One of the Jraewy's eyes narrowed. "Ho..." He said softly, ignoring the looks he was getting from the others. "A deposed Emperor."
" Sss ..." Agito hissed, his eyes flashing. "You had the honour of seeing the form I will use to crush the Advent's," he replied in Jraewy , deciding with a burst of anger that he didn't care if they knew they would be understood even in their native tongue. "And with the ease your ships were destroyed, I believe you will be bowing to me before long..." he trailed off, allowing them to fill in his meaning as they would.
::I don't think it's time to be branching out quite yet,:: Fukamachi cautioned, having the sense at least to keep the communication private.
::You're right. They are hardly worth bothering with but they don't know that.:: Makishima raised one eye brow to Sho, mockingly daring him to object to his reasoning before turning back to the prisoners.
He fixed his stare on the one who had spoken, looking carefully at the flight suit. It was a simple garment, designed for functionality rather than appearance but even so there were a few more bright points on it. And he assumed that bright points served the same purpose as they did on human uniforms, tokens of rank. He quickly flicked his eyes over the remaining Jraewy noting that all of them were of lesser rank. Most of the Jraewy were present. A few were still injured and were being healed and a few had remained with them but he did not recall seeing any further rank insignia on the one's who were not present. I just hope they are a high enough rank, he thought. It was possible that the pilots of the small ships were peons and that the ranking officers had gone down with their ships. Still, as much as it grated, the one who had spoken did seem to have a medicorum of intelligence so perhaps it was something to go on.
"Your name?" the Black Guyver demanded.
The Jraewy almost seemed to smirk. "A custom for your race, huh? To give name and rank... Heh ! What can it hurt? My name is Hosida . I have the rank of Quiyan ."
::He lies...:: The words were whispered into the minds of the Guyvers. :: Quiyan is a rank for a trainee, a very special, one to one trainee... He's telling you that because it is a rank that they don't reveal to outsiders so he's hoping to trick you.::
Makishima nodded. " Quiyan ?" He questioned, seeming to fall into the Jraewy bluff. "An interesting rank..." He sauntered over to the individual and gently held his chin, forcing the alien to meet his glittering black eyes. "If you are a Quiyan , then I rank as a Quixan ." He paused for an instant, allowing the information to sink in. After all, he was not a Jraewy , there should be no way for him to know what the rank of trainer corresponding to Quiyan was. His prisoner flinched and Agito smiled coldly. "There are consequences for lying."
Hosida screamed, thrown back by a negligent seeming gesture from Agito . His guards caught him, gingerly holding the twitching body. After a moment though, Hosida stilled, coughing slightly as he looked up at Makishima and shook himself free of the hold of his guards.
"Care to try again?" Agito questioned. "Telling me your rank, I mean?"
" Grrr ..."
"I will know when you lie. I also know every nerve ending on your body." Makishima delivered the lines blandly, stating nothing more than simple fact. The Jraewy got the idea immediately, snapping his jaws closed.
"No, no, no," the Emperor shook his head, reading the aliens intention. " That won't do at all. Silence is not an option." He reached his hand out once again, stroking one finger along the line of the Jraewy's chin. "You can speak to me, or you can scream for me."
"Can you be sure you know our physiology that well?"
Makishima smiled grimly. It was a good question but he knew the answer. "No... I don't know your physiology that well and those who do will not agree to be my tame healers while I torture you. However, I don't necessarily have to torture you ."
His words brought a hiss from the other Jraewy as they realised they were firmly in the firing line.
"It only works if I care for one of them."
"Are you sure?"
"These mean nothing to me, as my life means nothing to me now. We failed. We have forfeited everything. If you know us so well, you know that."
"I know what it means to forfeit life..." Fukamachi began, watching the Jraewy carefully. "And I know that no life is truly forfeit until you are dead. There is no such thing as the living dead. As long as you live, you desire life. So whether you speak to us, or scream first, you will tell us what you know."
Sho ignored the looks he was getting, especially from his oldest friends. They had to know what the Jraewy knew and they had to know fast. Torture was wrong but if they could bluff them with the threat... He knew that you should never bluff with a threat you weren't prepared to carry out but while he may not be prepared to carry out the torture of aliens, Makishima had no such reservations. Besides, they weren't out of options... yet.
"Ah... the soft touch now..." Hosida murmured not seeing the shifting states of his companions.
Makishima rolled his eyes... It didn't matter what Fukamachi said, what he believed but if the words convinced the Jraewy to talk then the boy could talk all he wanted. And it seemed that some of them were weakening.
"I'll ask you all again, names and rank?" He raked his eyes over them.
The Jraewy remained silent.
#"Translate for me please, Segawa ?"# The request came from one of the guards.
Tetsuro nodded, stepping forward so that the Jraewy could see him clearly.
"If you think we are being merciful by just questioning you, think again. If you think we won't torture you, just because we pulled you from space, treated your wounds and are feeding you, consider again. Your attack killed our companions and wounded our ship. Your attack compromised this planet that is our refugee. As you know, the Advents want us, and this planet is our last hope. If you think for a moment that we will not protect it - if you think there is anything we won't do to protect it - then you are deluding yourselves and you do not deserve our mercy. You will tell us what we ask. It is the only way you are going to save any of your race. You compromised our position. We don't take that lightly."
Makishima grinned as the guard stepped back. That answered that question. The guards wouldn't be raising 'humanitarian' objections to his questioning techniques in the event that he was forced to use a harsher form of persuasion to get the answers they needed.
"The hard way or the easy way?"
" Sss ... We've already told you enough."
"Fine." Makishima's eyes burned and he stepped up to one of the other prisoners. It was one he noted without much decoration on the uniform and the rank signals were repeated. He touched the nerve point and watched impassively as the Jraewy screamed. But unlike the time with Hosida , he did not retract the pressure. The two guards held the alien firm and after a minute, when the red rims of the Jraewy's eyes were distended, Agito pulled back, turning back to Hosida . "Do you want to speak? Or do I continue?"
"Our lives are forfeit."
"So be it!"
#" Agito ! Wait!"#
Makishima rolled his eyes. Typical Fukamachi.
"What is it?" He snarled.
#"Let Aptom try,"# Sho spoke in Kyheenan , gambling that the Jraewy wouldn't understand. From their sudden shifting it was a reasonable assumption.
#"What?"# The question came from both black Guyvers.
#"It's not human DNA but he might be able to do it. And if they truly believe their lives a forfeit then all we are doing is wasting our time."#
At least he didn't garble on about causing them pain, Agito thought as his eyes narrowed. It wasn't human DNA but flesh was flesh and now could be the only time they would have for experimentation. #" Aptom ?"#
#"I don't know,"# the Zoanoid looked at Fukamachi. #"Why do you suggest it?"#
#"It'll be easier if you can."#
#"You don't want to cause them pain?"#
#"I don't wish to cause them unnecessary pain."#
#"I will kill one. Fail or succeed, it will most likely kill it."#
#"I know. But better to kill one than many. If we continue questioning them, we are going to have to kill a lot of them."#
#"I was wondering when the humanitarian issue would enter,"# Makishima shook his head. #"But, Guyver I is correct, if you can absorb one, it will be easier."#
"All right," Aptom nodded, moving forward, speaking Jraewy . "Which one, Makishima?"
"That one," he said, pointing to one that had been watching the proceedings silently, eyes wide with reflected pain at what Makishima had done to his companions.
Aptom looked at the guards. #"Put your gloves on and hold him,"# he instructed. #"Don't let your bare skin touch him or me, no matter what. The rest of you clear away a little, this could be messy."# he switched languages, going back to Jraewy . "You're the lucky one," he told the captive. "Makishima won't touch you and you will still tell us everything."
"Never..."
"Never is a very long time. I'll show it to you some day." Aptom's eyes changed slightly and his lips parted in anticipation as he reached out one human hand, placing it lightly on the Jraewy face. He closed his eyes, eyelashes fluttering in concentration.
With a sudden cry the Jraewy pulled back hissing, breaking the tension in the room. "What..?" the prisoner gasped. "What is this?"
#"Hold him firmly,"# Aptom ordered. #"I got some way but not enough to control,"# he added the explanation. No one he had infected had ever broken away. It's just the alien DNA... he consoled himself with a small smile. And I'll have that worked out soon enough.
The guards tightened their grip on the now struggling prisoner. Makishima wore an expression of deliberate boredom but everyone else was watching raptly - the guards and representatives with morbid curiosity, they, like most humans, had heard of Aptom's abilities, but hearing and witnessing are two very different things - the Jraewy with rising apprehension, no race stopped 'questioning' unless they thought it was in their interests or unless all their prisoners were incapacitated and since that wasn't the case they were trying and failing to see how Aptom's actions were in the Terran's best interests.
The Black Zoanoid looked back at his 'meal' before a chill passed over his soul. This was too easy... ::Fukamachi..?::
::Yes?::
::Can... can you take something for me?::
::Huh?::
#"I want some insurance..."# Aptom said softly, as his transformed into his Zoanoid body. #"This form is more effective,"# he explained to the others, #"and it also allows me to do this..."# He raised his claws and slashed at his arm. He hissed in pain, ignoring the splattering of blood and the sympathetic moans he could hear coming from the humans, as he slashed again, severing the limb. #"Fukamachi..."# he breathed hard. #"Take this and take..."# He closed his eyes, focusing his essence into the Guyver link, :: this .::
Sho took the severed limb, holding it gently, as he also accepted the brilliant flash that was the essence of the Zoanoid .
Aptom cocked his head at the Jraewy ... "It hurts..." he said to the now blood splattered alien. "But it will be worth it." With those words he reached forth his good arm, once again making contact with the aliens skin.
He felt his blood. In the way that all his cells were conscious he felt it sigh contentedly as it realised it would be merging with the whole again. Soon... he thought. And he also felt that some of his blood had seeped into the pores of the Jraewy . It appeared humans and aliens were similar in needing those openings on their skin. Go deeper , he instructed, feeling his hand begin to liquefy and follow the path his blood was defining. It was exhilarating, far different from the feeling he got when it was human DNA. It was hot and wild and he could almost feel the individual Jraewy cells fighting against him, their long strands whipping around his own, seeking dominance. It almost like dominating Zektoll or how he imagined joining with Fukamachi would be. Grimly he pushed deeper into the Jraewy .
Huh..? Something had flickered... Something wasn't right... #"Get back!"# He growled the warning to the guards as he raised all his defences.
The Jraewy let out a soft moan as the restrictions on his arms loosened. He didn't fall though, Aptom was linked enough that while his body sagged he remained upright. But that was only for an instant. The black Zoanoid didn't see it, he was too deeply merged to see anything clearly but the others did. The slow but almost instantaneous liquefaction of the Jraewy's body before it acquired a goo like consistency becoming viscous, breaking apart into many tendrils which wrapped themselves like a wreath of snakes around Aptom .
#"What..?"# The general explanation came from everyone, as there was a sudden scrambling for distance.
:: Tetsuro ! Force field!::
::Yes!:: Tetsuro summoned his Guyver armor , summoning a gravity globe even as he moved. With a flick of his hand, it appeared around Aptom and the Jraewy , containing the mess that was the two of them. The syrup that was the Jraewy broke like a tide within the sphere.
:: Aptom ! Answer us, Aptom !:: Makishima made the demand but there was no answer forthcoming.
"What is this?" It was Sho who snarled the question to Hosida , reaching out to shake the Jraewy with his spare hand.
"I..." Hosida gulped, staring wide eyed at the sphere. "I don't know."
"You must know something." Sho had not summoned his Unit but the deathly quiet tone of his voice was somehow more menacing.
"Nothing!" Hosida snapped back. "What ever this is, it's your doing."
" Aptom as done this many times before and this has never happened."
::Fukamachi, calm down,:: Makishima cautioned. The boy was beginning to lose it, and if he got too emotionally stressed his Unit would have no choice but to respond and that would just make a bad situation worse.
::But..!::
::Calm down! It's not like Aptom isn't going to survive. The little parasite already saw to that.::
::That's not the point!::
::It's a good enough point for the moment.::
Makishima got the impression of a dark look from Fukamachi but he dismissed it. The other Guyver was progressing but there were still times when he backslid. Progress is progress , he reminded himself and any progress was something of a miracle. :: Aptom ,:: he sent the thought, narrowing his eyes as the information came to him. ::We are whole now. Fall back to that centre before you attack.::
::All right,:: Sho said finally, stepping back from Hosida . "You'd better hope nothing's wrong. Since I am the one who wanted to try a more 'humanitarian' approach, it is I who bear the consequences and while I will regret it, I will do what is necessary to get the information we need." Sho gave Hosida one last glare before he turned back to the sphere.
:: Aptom ! What ever that thing is, destroy it. We can get the information in other ways.:: Sho sent the thought firmly through the link, sending what he could of his own strength to aid the Zoanoid .
***
^Now you are at our mercy .^
What? Aptom gritted what passed for teeth of his Zoanoids form. He had felt Tetsuro's sphere materialise around them and in a deep part of his mind he nodded. A Guyver Engineer's sphere was better than a Warrior's one, stronger when it came to containment rather than destruction. But now that they were cut off from the outside world the other had made their presence felt. He wasn't alone with the Jraewy soldier anymore.
^Now you are at our mercy .^ The voice repeated, seeming to be a choir of hundreds.
Who are you?
^We are that which you would subvert.^
Jraewy ?
^Yes.^
Aptom hissed suddenly as he felt the alien consciousness that wasn't the individual he had been dominating begin to enter him! This wasn't what was meant to be happening. It was him who entered another, and then brought their essence out after he had smothered it. No one had ever fought back before, not when he was this deeply into them. This did not happen to him.
^But it is, because you awoke us.^
Back off ! Aptom snarled gathering himself and striking at the unknown presence.
^No. You are trapped with us. You tried to hurt us so you will become one with us.^
I don't think so . Aptom replied, understanding slightly what this new being was. There was a sense of multitude with it, of combined consciousnesses. This was Jraewy as it had said but it was a combination of Jraewy , a group mind, something that primitive beings sometimes had. Some animals on Earth had had that, insects especially but other animals had it too, larger, warm blooded. The over-mind wasn't as active for them but in times of stress it did come forth. And by joining with the Jraewy he had placed the individual under a lot of stress.
You are the combined whole of the Jraewy consciousness, a community. Well, I am that too , Aptom growled the words mentally as he dimly felt his entire body liquefy, joining them completely. Linked as deeply as they were there was no way to hide his intent as he summoned the others, throwing his combined consciousness at the Jraewy . I am the Dominant thought , he used the words to drive the other presences further into the seething mass that was the Jraewy . And I will dominate you.
^You are limited. We are a complete species. One individual cannot win against us.^
I am complete enough .
^You are not whole.^
: : He is not whole, however we are complete.::
^What?^
:: Aptom ...::
Who..?
::I am you, but we are what stands behind you.::
Then attack !
::There is no need for that. We are commanded to hold firm.::
Aptom blinked. Someone has the authority to order you?
::Yes... We will hold here. You will attack. That will be enough.::
Do you still believe you can win ? He asked the Jraewy with a smirk, driving forward once again.
***
The change, when it happened was sudden. The protective sphere that Tetsuro had raised had filled with churning viscous fluid that seemed to scream, glowed brightly but remained firm. Inside the liquid churned and seemed to break apart into two different streams. One was green with a blue glow and the other was black, with a faint red glow.
The black whipped around the green before retracting and coalescing into a familiar shape, a black Giga Guyver, with blood red highlights. The green broke further apart, narrow tendrils driving towards Aptom's form but they were met by his red highlights.
It almost looked like a tangle of ribbons except these ribbons were a writhing mass striking at each other with blinding ferocity. Slowly though but with increasing speed the red ribbons began driving back the green and then, just as quickly as that it was over.
The green retracted into the form of the Jraewy even as Aptom's red attack blades sank into his body. He didn't scream. In fact, since the liquid had broken into two streams it had been strangely silent. Thick blood dripped from the entry points Aptom had made but with an efficient swipe, one red blade flickered wiping away the stains and absorbing the biological material as the rest of his blades drew the now limp body to him. His Unit softened for an instant, taking in the foreign flash before smoothing out as if nothing had happened.
Tetsuro let his field fade, stepping back as Aptom turned to Fukamachi.
::Don't,:: Aptom growled fiercely through the Guyver link. ::Don't ever ask that again!:: He cautioned.
::I'm sorry,:: Sho responded, his voice sad and full of genuine regret. ::I had no idea this would happen.::
Sho handed him back the stump of his arm and in the moment they touched the Zoanoids compressed essence returned to its originator. Aptom sighed. What was it with Guyver I? He had been fully ready to grump and growl at the boy for weeks for what he had just been through but two words into Fukamachi's first sentence to him and the feeling had vanished. It's honesty... he thought to himself wondering briefly why the boys open honesty and downright naivety didn't grate against him the way everyone else's seemed to. Unlike Makishima, Fukamachi actually feels the emotion his voice portrays . #"Just don't ask again,"# he repeated more gently this time.
#"Well..?"# Agito drawled.
#"I got it."#
#"So what was with the rest?"# Tetsuro asked.
#"They are a primitive race,"# Aptom grumbled. #"Physically so primitive that they haven't even evolved past the need for an over mind."#
#"Huh? Over mind? What's that?"#
#"The group mind, like the group minds of insects. They still have one, but it doesn't come out unless they are greatly stressed and what I do is about as stressful as you can imagine,"# Aptom said, sounding disgusted. #"It's okay now though, I know how to defeat it."#
"What did you do?" Hosida asked, recovering his voice.
Aptom shrugged, dismissing his armor before morphing his form into that of the Jraewy . "Does this answer your question?" He asked mockingly, changing back into human form. "Guards, could you please escort the prisoners away. We don't need them any more."
"Leave, that one, that one and that one," Makishima added the instruction, pointing to the individuals. "That way they can explain to the others what has happened," he added the explanation ignoring the questioning looks he was getting. The Emperor never explained.
"Yes sir!" The guards snapped to attention before dragging all but three of the Jraewy from the room.
"Well then," Agito turned towards Aptom . "I'll skip the preliminaries."
"Aw... And I was so looking forward to telling you my name and rank."
"Why did they attack?"
"For the same reason every other race will attack. No one's been able to fight the Advents and suddenly we can. Not only that but for some reason we are considered an easy target." Aptom rolled his eyes. "This one didn't know very much. Only what was in the mission briefing."
"Tell us."
"All right. Let's see now... There was a brief description of the events at the Interstellar Meeting and a general warning to stay away from any Terran Guyvers. A bit of silly warning actually since visuals hadn't been supplied yet and they didn't know what we looked like. Anyway, since the Tekki revealed that we had Advent ships they were on the look out for them. The ships have a particular distinguishing signal that the Arks share, so they found the convoy. After that, a few opened channels meeting no response, confirmed their suspicious that the Arks weren't a new type of Advent ship but were Terrans and they attacked.
"They weren't trying to destroy the ships though. That was a mistake. They thought that everyone on board was a Zoanoid and that's what they wanted. They wanted to capture the Zoanoids to study their DNA and see if they couldn't make them themselves." Aptom frowned, searching his 'memory'. "The Jraewy aren't an advanced race," he said slowly. "They don't have a lot of bio-energy so they always get rejected by Guyver Unit's. They're technocrats but there is a limit to what technology can supply at any one time and they've just about reached it."
Hosida was still present and was looking at Aptom through narrowed eyes. "How did..?" he breathed the question.
Aptom smirked. "The pilots name was Ealsanav , son of Echaoon , son of Egasku , son of Eyaosyn ... Do I need to go further?" He returned a question.
"You... you..." Hosida trembled. "You murderer!"
"You're wrong!" Aptom snapped. "I didn't kill him, I absorbed him - there is a difference. He will live within me forever. I wouldn't worry yourself about it, he has plenty of company."
"Monster!"
"Oh... Is that the best insult you can think of? Don't be concerned. If we decide we don't have enough information, you get to join him." He cocked his head once again a sly smile darting around his lips. "Unless of course, you'd like to be honest with us?"
#"I think they've seen enough,"# Makishima said, dismissing the Jraewy with a wave of his hand. #"Please take them back to confinement,"# he instructed the guards before turning to the gathered ship commanders. #"We're going to have to work out something to ensure security."#
The Jraewy walked out solemnly, the absolute hopelessness of their situation driven home by power displayed and the complete unconcern shown by the Terrans to that power. The playing field was not even, it never had been but it had never been driven home so savagely before.
"I don't think it's going to be a problem, Agito ," Rodriguez said softly after the prisoners had been removed. "From what the Jraewy said it should be easy, now, to fool others into believing our ships are just a differently designed Advent vessel. Mirai and Eternity can provide the appropriate responses and as long as they are adhered to, it should be fine."
"So you don't want to put troops on them?"
"I didn't say that." Rodriguez shook his head. "The ships hold 2000 plus minimal crew and travel in convoys of three. I think if we substitute 100 Zoanoid troops each ship then we should be able to drive off any predators. 300 Zoanoids is a significant figure."
"Unless the attackers are Guyvers."
Silence greeted the words. That harsh reality wasn't something that had been considered. Advent attacks had been considered and were fervently being prayed against, as were attacks by the Tekki , although there was some hope there that being a civilian craft would allow them to escape. But an attack by other races or by Guyvers...
"Are the Guyver's that organised? Do they count as a separate race or are they like you, representatives of their species?" The question came from one of the Community representatives, a wise old man who had seen the world ripped apart.
Makishima lowered his head in thought. Were the Guyver's that organised? "They didn't have a Representative at the Interstellar Meeting but they were present in force."
"Then they were there as Representatives or Guards of other races."
" Alkard ..? Are Guyvers as a whole that organised? Or do Guyvers of a particular race stick together?"
The Wesodin looked slightly surprised at the question before his eyes narrowed in thought. "As a whole they usually aren't that well organised. There isn't anything like a Guild or Organisation that keeps track of these things although I know a couple of races have tried. They've always failed because the strength of individuals both inter- and intra- species varies too much to allow cohesion. But there are races that train their Guyvers to act as elite fighting Unit's. I believe the Kyheenan Emperor's Personal Guards are all Guyvers. My race doesn't bother. I am a Guyver and for me, that simply makes me a very desirable mercenary. I'd work with other Guyvers providing I was getting paid. That's the stance taken by most races so I don't think you would have to worry about Guyvers attacking the transports unless someone else is paying them. The Kyheenans aren't likely to be interested in attacking you though. I think you made a big impression on them at the Meeting."
"And before," Sho smiled softly, remembering Uryal'ng's surprise.
"Well then," Rodriguez nodded, obviously drawing the conclusions in his mind. "Our ships look enough like Advent vessels that if they behave like them then we should be able to bluff our way through. Add to that 300 Zoanoids and I don't think there should be any more problems although I do believe we should keep communication lines open, just in case."
"Broad band broadcasting with level six encryption?"
"At the least," Rodriguez confirmed.
"That seems reasonable," Makishima nodded before he frowned at the assembled throng. There was a question that had been bugging him for a while and every time he tried to ask it there was some interruption. "Where did the extra Arks come from?"
"Huh?"
Sho saw Agito's eyes flash and instantly knew what was bothering the black Guyver. He didn't like additions or surprises and he really didn't like people acting on their own without informing him. " Endurance and Perseverance were not part of the original eight Arks. Where did these two come from?" He clarified the question for the group.
"Ah..." The murmur came from several people.
"Maxwell has been busy."
"I can see that ! Where did he get the materials from?"
"Earth."
Natsuki grinned. While she could see that Agito was flustered, it was something that was good for him. It would drive home the fact that he was no longer in complete control. And from what she had seen, that was a point that couldn't be made too strongly. "Maxwell was organising refugees for transport," she began the explanation, watching as Sho nodded his agreement with her words. Agito simply glared as he listened. "But he found that he had far too many people. We knew that was going to be a problem but we grossly underestimated it. So instead of telling them that they couldn't be transported he told them the facts. Not long after that a group approached him about retrofitting some of the other Ark wrecks. We just took the best eight. The others were badly damaged but with more work they could be made serviceable. There were a lot of people waiting for transport, so finding labour wasn't an issue for him."
"How many?"
"Four – Endurance, Perseverance, Remembrance and the Elizabeth Rose ," Natsuki answered lightly before her voice turned sad. "There will not be any others."
" Elizabeth Rose ?" Agito raised one eyebrow. The ship's name didn't exactly fit with the way every other Ark had been named.
"She was just a child," Samuel took up the story as Natsuki blinked back tears.
Makishima shrugged. "So? A lot of children have died." Thousands of children had died on Earth with the Advent's attacks and he was sure that they were continuing to die and while he appreciated the pain it caused, what made this one so special?
"That's not it Makishima," Rodriguez said with the slightest trace of rebuke in his voice.
"What is it then?" Agito growled. He was not in the mood to be pushed and remembrance of past pain was not something he enjoyed.
"Makishima," Natsuki began in a voice that clearly said she wouldn't tolerate any further impertinence from him. "I was there, and I couldn't do anything. Her name was Elizabeth Rose Adrienne. We still don't know where she was taken from but that doesn't really matter. The Advent's used her to destroy Maxwell's Fifth Ark. They must have suspected something because it was very surgical strike. The hull had been reinforced and they were working on the engines when she came. They turned her into a time bomb, Agito . Her sole purpose was to destroy that Ark but she warned everyone to get out. She did destroy it, but not before everyone got out. She walked into the Bridge and announced what she was going to do and then held her self-detonation off until everyone had evacuated. She was alone and no one could help her but she picked her side, Makishima and we will remember that. She was only seven years old and no one should have to make that choice that young, but she picked her side and we will remember."
"Hmm..." Agito sighed. It sounded like something more sentimental beings would do - sentimental remembrances for a child that was dead. "So has Maxwell got any other surprises for us?"
"No," Natsuki shook her head. "The loss of the Ark, while there was only one casualty did hit hard. I think he was still trying to consolidate every thing again before he starts being creative."
The Emperor nodded. "Well then, one can only hope that our adventures will have long term benefits."
"You made contact?" The question seemed stupid with Alkard standing quietly in the corner.
"Yes. We rescued a group of Kyheenans from the Advents and they in turn told us of a meeting that was being held, the Interstellar Meeting. Ostensibly it was to discuss Zoanoids but it didn't really turn out like. We were right about Zonaoids though, no one had seen them. Apparently the Advent's used to use something called Monomeeth . Monomeeth were stronger than Zoanoids but not as fast and not very intelligent. Zoanoids are a very nasty surprise."
"So what happened at the meeting?" Rodriguez was looking between the Guyvers and could see the tension rising.
"The Advent's were there. So was their enemy, something called the Tekki ."
Samuel laughed weakly. "Who had the funeral?"
"No one," Sho shook his head. "The Advent's only sent a Representative and the Tekki sent a projection but they were still being exquisitely nice to each other."
" Ow ..." Samuel wasn't the only one who winced at Fukamachi's choice of words.
"What else happened?"
There were sighs from all involved. "We were trying to keep a low profile," Tetsuro spoke. "We don't have one now though." He blinked, collecting his thoughts as he glanced to the ground. "We intended only to go to see what Aliens existed in the Universe but we... kind of... got picked up by security," he finished in a rush.
" Kind of picked up by security?" Rodriguez asked with an amused note. Everyone had returned so it can't have been that bad.
"I had my neck broken in three places," Sho said.
"What?!"
"It's one of the reasons your race no longer has the safety of anonymity," Alkard looked up. "No Guyver Unit has ever responded to its Host if the Host was injured while the Unit was in Subspace but Fukamachi's did. Not only did it respond, it attacked without mercy. It might be usual for you but for the rest of us, no Unit has ever thought a weakened Host was anything better than a meal. I admitted my total defeat."
"So Guyver Unit's have been more parasitic in nature?" Rodriguez got the uncharacteristic second question in before everyone else could explode at the implication that it had been Alkard who had injured Fukamachi. Guyver I was fine and seemed to have come to an agreement with the alien that was mutually beneficial. What ever had happened, had already been decided and even if they had something to say against it, nothing would change. Sho was like the Emperor in that way, except he did listen to your suggestions and then went on his way.
"Yes," Alkard nodded. "They have changed for your race but their nature could not be denied. That could be worked around though. Guyver Unit's are, after all, something the Universe is familiar with. What has really taken your anonymity was the response from both the Advent's and the Tekki ."
"What was it?" Natsuki asked with more than a little trepidation. They had to know but the knowledge was not going to be good.
"The Tekki recognised us as Terrans and knew that we are the base form of Zoanoids even before the Advent's chose to reveal that fact to the others."
"So the aliens all know that humans are Zoanoids?"
"Yes."
"So why'd they attack?"
"They also know that there are factions within Humanity - those loyal to the Advent and those who will fight. That's why they attacked. We are the only race, apart from the Tekki to ever fight Advent's with any hope of winning. They want that, especially since the Tekki revealed that the Advent's have been selectively destroying advanced and advancing races before they are powerful enough to fight as equals."
"Great! Any other news? The Tekki our enemy yet?"
"We managed to avoid that," Makishima said dryly. "He's not an ally but he's not an enemy and he knows far more than he should."
"What do you mean?"
"The Tekki is attacking Advent Ships but he with drew his forces from Mirai and Eternity when we said they were ours. So he's not directly against us. As for knowing more than he should, he was waiting for us. In his own words, 'I am only here because this is finally a true Interstellar Meeting and I thought I should make it complete.' Right after that Mirabilis walked out. He knew what we could do as Guyvers and he knew the history of Alkanphel."
A stunned silence met his words.
"It wasn't a bluff? That wasn't something any of you had said?"
"No," Sho's voice was unusually harsh. "He called Alkanphel by name and he knew that he was the Zoalord . And he knew what it meant for Alkanphel to serve the Advents."
"So what does it mean?"
"The Tekki is not our enemy. In fact he offered the advice that alliances will be difficult. It's almost absurd but we might as well get used to the fact that we are one of the most powerful races in the Universe. Although I don't think many races will risk the Advent's wrath by allying openly with us but I don't think they'll risk our wrath by getting in the way."
"The Jraewy did."
"A mistake we will make sure they regret," Agito said but refused to elaborate. Instead he smiled, that condescending smile that stated he had made his decision and that they would have to live with it.
***
The questioning of the Jraewy went well despite the worry with Aptom . After the meeting was finished I managed to get Aptom to report to the Infirmary for a scan. I couldn't detect anything, but Hayami with his extra knowledge of a Zoanoids physic was convinced something had changed but despite our best efforts we couldn't find anything. For his part Aptom shrugged off any suggestion that he wasn't completely well, saying that he had completely destroyed all there was of the Jraewy that had caused him problems. After that, he refused to say any more.
We didn't find out what Makishima had planned for the Jraewy until a little later and for him, it was surprisingly sedate and as it turned out, very useful. His plan also allowed the Jraewy to survive as a species and I must say I was rather surprised at the complete lack of bloodshed. Agito , while the Olympiad had a policy of non-killing, was not as restrained when it came to aliens.
Mirai and Eternity gave some responses and instructions to the Arks accompanied by the warning that these were archaic and perhaps someone would see through that. Makishima laughed at that and added the advice that they should simply act imperially and believe themselves to be superior and most would not see past that attitude. Whether the responses were archaic or not, they did serve well and we've since found out from many races that they were completely convinced that the Advents had change their ship design and had steered clear of the area. Unfortunately not everyone was fooled. The Advents were especially harsh once they discovered the deception but that was not for some time, which was all we could have hoped for.
With the ships safe for the moment we thought that Merrimu was secure. In that way our return to Merrimu had rather fortuitous timing as we, well rather Aptom , was there to stop the attack. The Universe knew that Terrans made powerful Guyvers and they knew that they were Zoanoids but they did not know the full truth behind either and it was that fact, combined with Aptom's unique abilities that saved us. The attack... The Interstellar Meeting had occurred two weeks earlier... Two weeks in which everyone, it seemed absorbed information and planned... It almost seems unreal that they, the Universe could be ready to attack so quickly but they were. Readiness... A symbol of the times they survived in. The attack on our rescued civilians at Merrimu was a massacre before we could arrive to help but I can only imagine what type of blood bath it would have been if we hadn't been there. But while we stopped the attack, it came at price, opening old wounds and raising questions about mortality and what it meant to be a Guyver.
***
To Be Continued...
Note: No... I'm not about to let anyone forget that Agito was the Emperor of Earth since at this time only about a year or so has passed, at the most, since the Advent's arrived on Earth, thus deposing him. What I mean by the guards laughing at Emperor of Terra, is that they are English speaking guards and the words are very similar to their synonymy.
Next Chapter: Merrimu ... the secure planet chosen to offer haven to humans, a planet that no one else was meant to know about is watered by the blood of humans and Makishima's plan for the Jraewy comes to fruition.
Jade Tatsu ( jade_tatsu@yahoo.com )