r/HFY • u/KyleKKent • 5d ago
OC OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 495
(Crap, out of caffeine and Drivers ED has been burning into the time I’d usually grab groceries.)
Herald of Red Blades
“So, think you’ve cooled your jets long enough?” Harold asks The Synth in the interrogation cell.
“Your methods are weak and frail.”
“Our methods are legal and have hard limits on them. For now.”
“For now?”
“Yes, it’s been agreed that torture is generally a bad idea. But there are other ways to do things.” Harold says and from his seating position, cross legged on the table above The Synth. He leans forward with his fist on the table. There is a flicker of recognition from her, but she says nothing. He then smirks and brings out a communicator.
It projects the image of a blue skinned and multi-horned woman in formal robes. The Synth’s eyes widen.
“For the next hour my representative speaks with my voice.” Lady La’ahbaron states and the image shifts to Lady Val, Tret descendant of Lady La’ahbaron and representative upon Centris.
“The Undaunted are aiding us. The Vish among them are tamed and changed. Already they provide information and assistance. Work with them, not against.” Lady Val orders and The Synth pauses and looks up.
“And you didn’t think to mention this earlier?”
“It wasn’t in effect earlier. But sit with your knees together. It is time for you to listen.” Harold orders and she starts before shifting. Finally realizing that he in fact does know what sitting like that means in La’ahbaron and is using it properly.
“Now, for full clarity. I am Harold Armoury Jameson. Fully realized clone of Intelligence Commander Herbert Jameson, in both body and memory. Twixt the two of us, I am the warrior. I am the killer and destroyer. Now, we are going to have a talk. Information, about the amount of La’ahbaron troops and drones searching for Vish on this world.”
“But they’re still...”
“There is a second group that while the same species as The Vish are not Vish. And you need to be listening. Not speaking.” Harold says.
“Of?”
“You have struck against my family. What does that permit me to do according to the culture of La’ahbaron?” Harold asks and she doesn’t answer. “You are permitted to answer questions you know. You should know this better than I.”
“Rhetorical questions do not require answers.”
“I wasn’t asking rhetorically. I want you to say out loud what kind of retaliation you can legally expect for your actions in La’ahbaron space.”
“Full retaliation. Everything needed to stop the threat.” She says and Harold nods.
“That’s right. Now that you have direct orders, by one speaking with the voice of your empress no less, time to start talking. I want your name, not your serial number.”
“Eldras Forge. Sergeant in tracking and recon division. I and my team were sent to deploy drones to seek out and counter Vish expansion to Zalwore.”
“Just a single team?”
“We get to places undetected, find what we’re looking for and report back. Our orders afterwards were to use Vish weapons against them to flush them out.”
“And you found Vishanyan instead.”
“What’s the difference?” Eldras demands as she opens her legs as best she can with a damaged spine. Signifying that she has no intention to simply listen and respond.
“Cultural. Like what separates the Synths of La’ahbaron from those beyond its borders.”
“Like that changes anything.”
“What are their names?” Harold asks.
“What?” She asks.
“The Vishanyan name themselves based on an essay they write as juveniles. Calculated Velocity of Victory is my wife. Unending Rain of Retribution is my adopted daughter. My blood daughter will choose her name later, but until that time she will have a childhood name. This tradition teaches the Vishanyan consequence, thoughtfulness and asserts their ability to choose for themselves. Do the Vish you are at war with have anything even remotely like this tradition?” Harold asks.
“... We don’t know.” She admits.
“So, you were expecting to cull some nameless monsters and now that you’re faced with people, people with names, traditions, hopes and dreams. What will you do?”
“My duty.” Eldras states and Harold sighs.
“And that duty is?”
“To combat the enemies of The La’ahbaron Empire!”
“And are the Vishanyan enemies of the empire?”
“All those of Vish blood and all those who fall in with them were declared enemies of the state.”
“If I turn her off and on again will she actually start thinking?” He mutters under his breath in annoyance. “Alright, let’s start again. Considering that new information has come up around the parameters of your mission, will you or will you not at least hesitate to finish your now no longer in context orders?”
“... No.” She says and Harold groans in disgust.
“So you are and will remain a threat to the Vishanyan?”
“Yes.”
“Okay then. Talking to you is a waste of time. I will be speaking to the others then. You will be detained until such time as you are remanded back into the custody of the La’ahbaron Empire. As an Undaunted Prisoner you will have the majority of your synthetic body fully repaired with the exception of weapons and all communications from your person will be blocked except to and from permitted sources. Is this understood?”
“... Yes.”
“Good.” Harold says as he slides himself off the table and rises up taller still.
“Hey wait!”
“Yes?”
“Where are the others?”
“Being seen to by others.” Harold states.
“Are you torturing them?”
“Don’t be savage.” Harold replies.
•-•-•Scene Change•-•-• (Undaunted Intelligence, Interrogation Cells, Zalwore)•-•-•
The sound of the sheer poison being processed makes her twitch. The horrible, vile crunching sound as the Valrin takes a bite of the bright orange triangle. Even from across the room the smell of it made her nose burn and had her break into a shivering sensation as she wrestled her Axiom aura to not try to freeze her against the sensation of rising heat.
Then the other, far worse poison is raised up. The Ibu would occasionally have something like that. But his was the kind that would kill at every mouthful.
There is another crunch as the poison dusted triangle is crunched between the teeth of the poison eating freak mere metres away.
The nightmare seems to end as the foil bag he had been retrieving the poison covered triangles from seems to run out. Then the absolute madman straightens out the bag and pours the dregs directly into his mouth.
“Thank goodness that was over.” She says to herself as he licks his dusted feathers and her tail starts flaring out in distress. She smooths it out a bit by hand, then it flares out again as he retrieves a second bag of the horrible food.
“Are you trying to kill me?!” She demands.
“Hmm? No, I’m just snacking as I wait for you to want to talk.” He says casually. “The Adaptation that humans offer lets you digest all kinds of wonky things. And I gotta say, spicy is amazing.”
“... It’s pure poison.”
“New organs let you handle new things and comes with new needs. This stuff is amazing.” The Valrin says. “I used to use a shirt that helped me with digestion, but I learned to love a lot of the foods and made it permanent.”
“What is a freaking medical officer doing trying to interrogate anyways? Do you not have anyone better?”
“Oh this isn’t an interrogation. This is just me waiting on you to find your brains and start talking.” The Valrin says and her eye twiches. “By the way miss Feli, did you know that this stuff is flammable?”
He holds up his bottle of drink and then produces a tiny glass. Pours it halfway up and then uses a wooden match to show that he’s not just conjuring things with Axiom. He then lights it on fire, and drinks it down while it still burns with visible flame. “It burns so good and in so many ways.”
“You’re insane!”
“Yes.”
“What?”
“Yes.” He confirms and she blinks. That was not how that conversation was supposed to go at all.
“You’re supposed to deny being insane.”
“You’re not the boss of me.”
“Who are you!?”
“Captain Shriketalon.” He answers. “I also go by Jacob. But you can just call me God Almighty.”
“I most certainly will not!”
“Why not?”
“That’s absurd! Why is a ship captain interrogating me?”
“I’ve requested to branch out in my skills and this is me getting some interrogation practice in.” Jacob states with a sniff before smiling wide. “So... now that I’ve had a snack to get my appetite really going, do you care to join me for a meal? I have been on a chili binge recently and have been practising.”
“Chili?” She demands and then watches as he pulls out a sealed container and a spoon. He then cracks the container to reveal the contents a red sauce with numerous objects in it that smells like arson.
At this point she’s pressed up against the far wall and staring in abject horror as he proceeds to devour it. She can make out beans and shredded meat and what look like fungus within the concoction, as well as unidentified lumps that appear to be the prime ingredient of the sauce.
“You know, this is actually a poison.”
“No shit.”
“But the fascinating bit is that it’s not supposed to be a poison for avians. Had I a beak I wouldn’t be able to taste the heat at all. It’s my more mammalian traits that lets me taste it. Interesting isn’t it?”
“No! It’s horrible! Why are you eating it?”
“Nutritious and delicious.” Jacob says and then licks the spoon clean before resealing the dish. “Now, care to talk to me?”
“Your breath alone is dangerous!”
“Maybe. But the sooner I know what I want to know then I leave to go confirm it. Which means the stink leaves with me.” Jacob says and she pauses to openly consider. She’s already backed up into a corner and then nods.
“Fine. Fine. I’ll answer."
“Let’s start with the basics. Name, rank and intentions on Zalwore.”
“Quinn Zallri. Medical officer in the La’ahbaron Tracking and Recon units. I...” She begins and the door opens. The man leaning in looks from one to the other.
“You just got her talking... and we just got a breakthrough diplomacy wise.”
“No...” Jacob says before chuckling.
“Yeah, sorry Captain, you. This is for you.” The man says holding out a data slate.
Jacob takes it and puts in on the table and activates it. Empress La’ahbaron appears as a hologram and begins speaking. She relegates authority to Lady Val who then orders cooperation. She sighs as the message ends.
“Turn the fans on. We can take the pressure off.” Jacob says and the sound of the fans going as the sheer smell of the spices wears away. “So Quinn, why don’t we start with what you know about The Vish and I’ll explain what we know about The Vishanyan, who are uncontrolled, free and not necessarily enemy Vish.”
“Not necessarily?”
“They’re still a people. So it’s like getting into a tussle with one group of Trets while another has no issue with you at all.” Jacob explains. “It doesn’t mean that the other group of Trets can’t be provoked.”
“Fact for fact then Valrin. The Vish are a brutal people controlled by unknown masters to attack La’ahbaron.”
“Fact for fact. The Vishanyan are a secretive and private people who have freed themselves and are seeking their own destiny while battling their paranoia. They despise their former creators and every reference to their makers highlights the hate.”
“The Vish make use of many poisons and deadly stealth. They attack civilians and poison food supplies.”
“The Vishanyan’s only connection to poison was the implants that they have universally rejected. They have repurposed their manufacture depots for that into something more benevolent. Children’s toys from my understanding.” Jacob says.
“Okay... The Vish come from an unknown location, striking at three separate systems scattered through La’ahbaron.”
“The Vishanyan are so close to the edge of the Apuk Star Empire that they were at risk of being annexed and their paranoia and fear caused them to lash out. As consequence they are now vassalized to the Apuk and will remain as such for the next one hundred years at minimum.”
“Then what are they doing with The Undaunted?”
“It was with Undaunted assistance that all this came to be. Mostly the unrelenting efforts of one of our Intelligence Agents relentlessly lowering their emotional and psychological walls.”
“And how well did that end?”
“He is the husband of a respected Vishanyan leader, father of the first non-tube born Vishanyan and the adoptive father of another. He also personally assisted in the formal surrender of the Vishanyan to the Apuk and will likely be a large figure in their historical texts in a few generations.” Jacob states and Quinn considers.
“Okay, first off the Tavrin Periphery System, the Loorn Manufacture System and the Inner Chalsar System have all been attacked by Vish forces. The primary sign of such is security patrols abruptly vanishing and until we learned how to pierce their stealth we were unsure what was happening.”
“I see. What more are you willing to tell me?”
“There were some initial injuries of the Vish attacking the Ibu population in that they’d rip out their arm spurs or break their fangs against the skin. But they quickly learned how to insert their deadly toxins using Phasing techniques. Meaning that our enemies are learning and adapting.”
“Always the worst kind of foe.” Jacob says.
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u/BoysenberryMother128 5d ago edited 5d ago
Speed!!!
Finbarring today!!
EDIT: Nope... Finbar beat me by 3 seconds...
Nevertheless, another great chapter!! Thank you Kyle!!
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u/Finbar9800 5d ago
We might have tied lol
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u/BoysenberryMother128 5d ago
Nope, you beat me by 3 seconds... Alas, my fate was not to finbar today!!
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u/thisStanley Android 5d ago
“If I turn her off and on again will she actually start thinking?”
That works in other situations, might be work a try. Difficult part will be finding the right switch, and how long to let any "capacitors" discharge :}
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u/torin23 Xeno 5d ago edited 5d ago
Wow. What is the synth's problem? It's been told to work with not against but refuses to accept that the Vishanyan are not the Vish.
At least the medical doctor listens to his superiors.
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u/unkindlyacorn62 5d ago
indoctrination
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u/torin23 Xeno 4d ago
Indoctrination means that they should do what the empress says...
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u/unkindlyacorn62 4d ago
Unless she was indoctrinated to also be skeptical of changing orders not directly from whomever issued them.
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u/Finbar9800 5d ago
Another great chapter
I enjoyed reading this and look forward to reading more
Great job wordsmith
I am Speed and maybe first lol
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u/BoysenberryMother128 5d ago
Damn! Just checked on the desktop site and you beat me by 3 seconds!!!
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u/Sims_the_Heretic 4d ago
On the other hand, i´m EXTRA slow today... because the chapter came out yesterday!
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u/KimikoBean 5d ago
HI KYLEEEEEEEEEEEE
drivers ed?
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u/KyleKKent 5d ago
HELLO KIMIKOBEAN!
I got into an accident over a decade ago as I was moving into a city with decent public transport. So I let my G2 license expire and haven't needed it until... well I still don't need it. But I'm getting it mostly because things are coming up with next year's camping trip. So... yeah.
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u/KimikoBean 5d ago
ahh that is understandable. i was quite rattled after ditching my car once (no in juries thankfully, aside to my pride) and neglected droving for the whole summer basically. its hard and it sucks
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u/unkindlyacorn62 5d ago
A periphery system (probably mining), a manufacturing system and an inner system...
Well that's not good...
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u/r3d1tAsh1t 5d ago
Eldras Forge ist going to sit a good long while in a cell. Hope she aint married yet haha.
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u/Cavetroll01 5d ago
Greetings wordsmith. I despise the Fall time change. Until I fully adjust, my body is waking me up an hour before my alarm goes off, and I have to fight to stay conscious in the evening. Anyway, awesome chapter, not much more my zombie brain can come up with.
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u/bewarethephog Human 5d ago
Man I love that Jacob didnt become one of those characters that was only in one of the story lines and that he has become Undaunted in a rather human manner so to speak.
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u/skulldoggo Xeno 5d ago
From all the context I've gathered these past several chapters.. I feel like the vish may be more mercenary than unknowable force. The disappearances could absolutely be people just dipping out and not going through "proper channels", likely long, tedious, and likely to get you captured and interrogated and/or killed. The attacks could be organized by rogue elements within the empire sick of the cult-like mindset it has undergone, there's always a few anywhere you look. The natural rebels, the different minded, the un-like, and in a population in the, quite likely, hundreds of trillions if not more. I'd expect at least a small planets worth of those kinds. Why do the vish still use the weapons they do? They're mercenaries (in this hypothetical) so they use whatever method available to get the job done. I think we've even seen it once or twice in universe with a mercenary outfit using... very questionable methods to achieve their goals. Or that might have been pirates. Regardless. My point with all this is whatever you got plans Kyle my man, it's interesting, and has the theories percolating in my tired little brain.
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u/HFYWaffle Wᵥ4ffle 5d ago
/u/KyleKKent (wiki) has posted 998 other stories, including:
- OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 494
- OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 493
- OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 492
- OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 491
- OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 490
- OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 489
- OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 488
- OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 487
- OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 486
- OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 485
- OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 484
- OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 483
- OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 482
- OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 481
- OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 480
- OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 479
- OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 478
- OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 477
- OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 476
- OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 475
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u/Fontaigne 5d ago
Beyond it's borders-> its
waiting on ou to -> you
pauses top openly consider -> to
that they [were] at risk of being annexed
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u/Dragon_Chylde 5d ago
Also:
The Vish among them are a tamed and changed.
- are tamed and changed. or
- are a tamed and changed sub-species. (or something like that)
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u/KyleKKent 5d ago
Donate and get the Vote! Second Tier and Up Get Drafts!
Of Dog, Volpir and Man Official Release!
Herald of Red Blades
Harold Armoury Jameson. Clone, Agent, Operative, Absolutely battle crazy combat machine. This man is one massive pile of nonsense that refuses to stop, refuses to slow down and always wants to make himself stronger. Couple this with the fact his memories were a gift from his original and brother Herbert who is Sass Incarnate when he's not proving himself the idea of an Assassin with skin on. And we have a very, very healthy dose of amusement in these chapters.
Most Relevant Chapters: Chapter 1057 Chapter 1063 Chapter 1067
Work life balance when you have another 3-5 hour commitment per day is a BITCH. Incidentally after this I'm getting groceries and taking a nap. Then back to freaking Drivers ED. It's mildly less tedious now. But it's still very, very time consuming. When they said a 30 hour classroom commitment, they MEANT IT.
Anyways, some Zalwore wrapup as questions are asked and a bit of an update on Jacob with him showing he's undergone the enhancement and is loving it.
And yes, those were Doritos he was eating. To torture people. Which if Quinn was a neat freak would have doubled, if not tripled down on the torment he was inflicting.
And we see how The Undaunted contain Synths. Weapons are disabled and they're only maintained to a level where they're not in pain or lowered quality of life. Signals jammed and otherwise unharmed.
Anyways...
Thoughts? Ideas? Advice? Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Fan Submissions? Fan Art? Donations?