The Escape Part 3

Chapter 5

At the other end, we apologize for the sudden appearance while explaining the circumstances.  The Sekidonians agree that we did well and they check on the sensors we implanted along the way and they’re functioning quite well.  Well enough, in fact, to determine that the soldiers were part of the Fortine Imperium.  As we take a moment to count our blessings, they offer to take us to their dining area.  Walking along the hallway, I was thinking that every alien race must be incredibly advanced and have no need for walking or eating or scrubbing floors but what I’m seeing tells me that I’ve been wrong.

As we enter the mess hall, we notice that it’s quite a mess.  Apparently, the janitorial staff isn’t quite happy to be working on another world with minimal adjustments in their compensation.  Maybe, all people aren’t so different no matter which planet is your home planet.  We drop our things at the end of a table and try to re-organize the mess a bit so we’ll all have space to sit.  After gathering a disposal cart, the Sekidonians help us remove the remnants of someone’s meals from the table.  We then approach the replicators and find that they’ve been programmed with Wistandian food, as well but cannot duplicate meat, as it is not part of the Sekidonians beliefs.  We select simple vegetable soup and berry dessert meals and go to sit.  The others join us momentarily.  Being so weary, I don’t really notice any distinct flavors and smells.  The food is filling and the discussion is polite but stilted as the Sekidonians seem to be fixated on Chris’ ripped shirt and his musculature showing.  No one in two facilities has mentioned fixing the shirt or replacing it but they certainly seem to stare.

Finishing, we’re led to a small room with a few cots, a computer terminal, and an adjacent wash room.  They bid us good night and we drop everything and give each other a quick look as to say "wash or sleep?" and we both rush to the wash room, remove everything and wash.  There seems to be a laundry facility and we attempt to make use of it while we’re trying to renew ourselves.  As I look for the rotating cylinder so I can ride the machine, Chris laughs at me.  Maybe, the Sekidonians are more advanced and don’t try such childish maneuvers but I’d like to be the first Wistandian to take a ride inside the machine.  As I return to washing, Chris pulls me close and thanks me for retrieving him and keeping him safe.  I respond by telling him that I couldn’t let my best friend go off world to be pleasured by all those aliens and he turns bright purple again and I giggle at him.

The cots are adequate and we find sleep more quickly than usual, though the morning seems just as tiring as the night was, even with several hours sleep.  We retrieve our laundry and Chris checks the computer to learn about clothing replication.  He learns that the replicators don’t make clothing for whatever reason.  I continue to needle him with the joke about alien pleasure and pull at his shirt and he seems to enjoy it as much as he dislikes it.  The Sekidonians have come to retrieve us and we gather our belongings and follow them.

They’ve decided that we’re to be translocated to a spot near the Imperium outpost, so that we can retrieve the items quickly and return.  I’m still not sure why they aren’t able to do it but I can only assume that the Imperium knows their species and there are hostilities.  They also know that the Wistandians are inferior in technological advancement, so they might not consider us a threat.  We’re being briefed on the mission and given holographic generators to conceal our true faces from the Imperium forces.  We go through the options and choose faces that might attract less attention.  Everything is embedded in our neck, so it should go undetected.  They’ve given us each an empty bag and sent us to the translocator room.

After a quick displacement, we can see the outpost in the distance.  Is it surprising that it was built by something called an Imperium?  It's gray, really gray and it's not sleek but I think it's probably very functional.  I'm betting that the designer fell asleep while designing it.  Walking toward the gate, we’re surrounded by a small, well-armed group.  They ask our business and we said that we’ve been lost for days and haven’t found food in the last day.  I can't hear their thoughts--only their emotional state, and they seem inclined to hurt us immediately but someone from the other side of the gate tells them to take us to the gate.  It doesn't look any better close up.  It must be called Fort Boring.  Chris repeats the story and I use my mental abilities to make it more convincing to all of them.  Maybe, this is why the Sekidonians chose us and why the Imperium wants to find us so intensely.  The guard mentions that we remind him of his own sons whom he hasn’t seen for a few years.  He checks with the commanding officer and after a brief discussion, they welcome us into their facility.
As they do a bioscan in their medical office, they only see that we’re Wistandian and not that holographic generators have been employed.  They notice slight malnutrition, especially in Chris and this confirms our story.  As we’re escorted to their mess hall, we stop by their clothing shop where Chris is invited to select a shirt to replace his.  These people seem overly generous and I wonder if it’s their nature or that the deception is quite good.  Remembering the list, I try to ask if they have certain things and the supply officer obliges willingly.  As part of the scheme, we hug the supply officer and our escorts and they seem quite happy to be helpful.  After a brief meal and learning on the fly how to eat through a holographic face, we’re taken to see the C.O.

The commanding officer is not the imposing military figure you might expect.  She seems to be a frail, elderly woman obsessed with order.  She tells us of the Emperor Fortius and how he commands 40 worlds with a gentle, iron fist.  "Order is necessary for all people" she barks and our escorts straighten up a bit at that.  "We hope that Wistandia will become a cherished part of our empire.  There have been some disgruntled people who have made this most difficult but we are finding them and convincing them to join our cause." she tells us.  This last part drains the purple from my face, to which she reacts immediately and says "There is no need to worry, dear.  We will one day be just as friends."  I fake a smile and reply "I hope so.  I for one, could use your strength."  She goes on to suggest that the Wistandian youth will become the Imperium’s strength.  She gives us communicators and suggests that we could become valuable allies to find malcontents within the population.  I make an off-hand comment to Chris about always wanting to be a spy and we have a little laugh but she is not amused.  We thank her, take our things, and we’re led out of the facility until we’re outside the main gate again.

Within almost an hour’s walk, we’re suddenly translocated back to the earlier Sekidonian facility.  I’m surprised that I haven’t had another strong reaction to the process and I seem to feel more comfortable each time.  They take us to a conference room and the holographic generators are disabled and we go through an intense debriefing.  We also give them all of the devices, but they suggest we keep the Imperial communicators for future use.  They thank us for the information and a job well done and mention that they’ve no information concerning my father.  I’m disappointed but not surprised.  They inform us that they’ll translocate us to the next facility and we should be able to travel to a nearby town on foot from there.  We collect our original supplies and as we pass some Sekidonians we met yesterday, one looks very disappointed at the sight of Chris’ new shirt.  I share the thought "alien pleasure" with him without words and we have a quick laugh.

Chapter 6

Through the translocator we go and I wonder if we’re anywhere near home now.  As far as we know, we could be on another planet.  This time the effect of the process seemed different.  The Sekidonians seem to have more presence to me, as if they’re more than just people standing there.  I can feel their essence now and know their numbers within the facility.  They supply us with food and send us out the main gate with new maps.  This time, the device looks Wistandian, as if it’s a prototype.  Their devices have such a sleek look and it would be obvious that they couldn't be Wistandian; however, this certain one looks every bit the part.  We walk quite a distance and come upon a table and chairs and we sit to eat.  The food has more taste this time and it might just be the taste of freedom that’s helping it.  It’s the first time in days when we haven’t felt imminent danger.  We clean up, gather our things, and find that town wasn’t so far.

We weren’t expecting a festival but it’s come at the right time.  There are entertainers and food and happy people and it’s a welcome change from the last few days.  At the inn, they find us a room and we store our belongings and return to the celebration.  It’s apparently the town’s 2000th anniversary and we’re noticing that some of the residents must have been here when the town was founded.  Indeed, the town doesn’t seem to have anyone under 100 years old.  I point to a metal sign, which has some quite clever craftsmanship.  Should we be concerned?  I’m noticing something else: we’re in close proximity to several Sekidonians, apparently in disguise.  As we come upon someone telling of the founding of the town, they show us a video of a jewel that’s been powering the town for hundreds of years.  I ask how it works and the speaker replies glibly "Oh, it’s all magic to me."

As night falls, we return to the room to sleep.  It seems that the lights don’t work and we stumble a bit around the room.  We can only confirm that our things are still there by the noise they make.  "No cots tonight and no alien pleasure" says Chris with a grin and we lean back on the pillows and fall to sleep quickly.  At some point, our sleep is interrupted by the lights and some 30 old people standing about us in the room.  "We’re so glad that you’ve come to join us." says one.  Another remarks "It’s been so long since we’ve had young people." to which they all laugh maniacally.  I try to use my abilities but they don’t seem to be affecting the elderly citizens.  As I look more closely, they all seem to have the same glow that the jewel was emitting in the video.  Chris starts to babble and they seem confused, so I add to their confusion by reciting my last history speech.  They seem to fall asleep after a while, which isn’t much of a surprise, as the same thing happened in my history class.  We gather our things again and make for a quick exit and head out of town in the dark.  Each step we take seems to gain the attention of more of the residents until we have a very slow mob following us.  I retrieve the map from the bag and it doesn’t seem to be working consistently, as if there is a dampening field around the town.  However, it points us in the general direction so we don’t backtrack.  As we approach the edge of town, a group of younger adults blocks our way.  I recognize one of them as a Sekidonian.  The person in front says that anyone who has been infected will not proceed further.  We have a bit of an argument about the mess and I repeatedly mention that the crowd is advancing.  The Sekidonian speaks in favor of us and we leave with their group.

Within a few minutes, my abilities seem to be restored and the map seems to be working again.  The group is curious about the map and I explain how I constructed it from materials I found from a damaged space craft.  They start to laugh.  "Space craft?  Here?  Aliens? Are you crazy?"  So, we start laughing as well.  They’re not ready for the truth, even when it’s been part of their group and standing in front of them.  "The weirdest thing around here is that town and their jewel.  Every day, they have a festival to draw young people to them and who know how many of them are used to keep the elderly alive?" they tell us.  They continue by telling us that they’ve found military units throughout the area and that they’re gearing up for some assault on the capitol.  Chris and I, in surprise, ask "capitol?" in unison.  They seem puzzled and reply "Yes, the capitol is only two days walk." and that puts us on the other side of the planet.  We mutter "We really have been lost."  The Sekidonian grabs the bag and asks "Hey, what other alien devices do you have?" and I reply "Only the best!", to which we all laugh.

We reach their camp and they find us a place to sleep until light.  As we are awakened, we are given some food, and pointed in the right direction.  The Sekidonian hands Chris the bag and tells us that everything is just as it was.  I confirm this in his thoughts and I thank him and wish him good luck.  Then, we verbally thank all of them and head out.  Chris shows me the map and there are several locations highlighted with "caution".  We can’t really go the other way because it leads back to the town, so our best choice is to travel in the general direction of the capitol without being in the middle of a battle.  We agree on a path that takes us close to one of the markers.  After half a day’s walk, we see that it’s an Imperium encampment.  In preparation, we retrieve the Imperial communicators from the bag.  As we go closer, we’re surrounded once again.  This time, they see the communicators and retrieve information.  We’re hurried into the makeshift headquarters to discuss our presence.  Chris fabricates a story about our long range mission and I back it up with a good deal of mental persuasion.  The C.O. says "You work for her directly?" and we reply "Yes."  He looks concerned and mutters "We can’t trust her but we have to trust her." and Chris states "We wouldn’t be in this area if we weren’t meant to be.  We all have our orders." to which the C.O. nods with a grim expression.  "Fine, feed, and be on your way." he says in a commanding tone, as we’re escorted to the mess tent.  Within a short while, we’re on the path to the next marker and by night fall, we’ve arrived at the fourth.  The procedure has been the same with each and we continue after a brief pause.  They offer us each a bunk but we decline, stating "orders" as our reason.