The Fae Senate had gathered again to hear what Rellmeer had been told. Arsha and Hanako were in attendance. \u201cThis is not credible,\u201d scoffed Baltar. \u201cA Kitsune cannot be so easily hypnotized!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWith normal hypnosis, yes,\u201d began Arsha, \u201cbut with drugs and a hypnosis suit?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo one\u2019s developed a hypnosis suit!\u201d dismissed Baltar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI wouldn\u2019t be so quick to dismiss it,\u201d interjected Rellmeer. \u201cThere ARE unsavory technologies being developed in secret.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut how would such a suit be constructed?\u201d asked Lantii.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd why lace it with a virus?\u201d quizzed Rozek, the male Pixie Senator that jabbed his finger to the ceiling during the cacophony the other day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPerhaps an attempt to wipe us out?\u201d quizzed Roonsar, the male Fairy Senator that protested Rellmeer\u2019s use of the word \u201cunusual\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMarshii is analyzing how the virus was made,\u201d assured Rellmeer. \u201cWhen Midiriki arrives, she will give her testimony.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAsk, and she shall appear!\u201d called a voice. Midiriki then entered the Senate Chambers in her usual purple kimono with her tails neatly brushed. She sat in the center seat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMadam, whenever you\u2019re ready,\u201d directed Rellmeer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThank you, My Lady,\u201d bid Midiriki. \u201cAssembled Senators and Family, I must confess, this whole situation comes from someone we long thought dead. This person was an unsavory Sprite that would stop at nothing to claim the Fae Throne. I believe you are all familiar with Dr. Cytanek Yavenag Borg?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBorg was executed!\u201d argued Baltar. \u201cHer experiments were destroyed during her arrest!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was there when she was executed,\u201d replied Midiriki, \u201cbut I saw her as she strapped me into that suit after drugging me with numerous mind-control potions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is ridiculous!\u201d insisted Baltar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI saw what I saw, I heard what I heard!\u201d urged Midiriki. \u201cI know what I know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd the Investigatory Committee,\u201d supplied a female Fairy Senator, Bwelman, \u201ccan confirm that this whole thing was Borg\u2019s MO.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI say the Investigatory Committee,\u201d called Baltar, \u201cneeds to reexamine the evidence stacked against it! Dr. Borg was taken to the wall! Magic bolts pierced her skull, her heart, her legs, and her lungs! She is dead!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAm I?\u201d called a voice. A green gas then flooded the chambers, causing everyone to start coughing. A few people saw a female Sprite\u2019s silhouette within the gas cloud and fired a few magic bolts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCOME BACK HERE!\u201d shouted Baltar as the figure ran from the chambers. As he took off after the attacker, Arsha, Hanako, Midiriki, and Rellmeer followed him with Arsha calling Marshii.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cArsha to Marshii, get a medical team to the Senate Chambers on the double!\u201d she commanded. \u201cWe may have sick people!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOn my way!\u201d replied Marshii. Arsha hung up, then transferred her hairpiece to her waist while summoning her armor. They all had managed to follow the figure into a laboratory, far from the city\u2019s limits. Hanako, Midiriki, and Rellmeer destroyed the door while Baltar cast a locate spell. They found the attacker as it turned to reveal that it was a cyan-skinned female Sprite with a prosthetic right eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c…Impossible!\u201d breathed Baltar. \u201cYou were…!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s my original mind, but not my original body,\u201d the Sprite revealed, answering Baltar\u2019s question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCytanek Yavenag Borg!\u201d gasped Arsha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDOCTOR Cytanek Yavenag Borg,\u201d corrected the Sprite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut you were sent to the wall!\u201d protested Baltar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes, I distinctly remember you shooting me in the skull,\u201d replied Dr. Borg, \u201cbut I needed my apparent execution to test a new device. Now that it works, I can explain. It\u2019s something that transfers my mind into a body I had crafted from my own DNA, an exact clone, complete with my cybernetics!\u201d She then pulled a wand out from within her cloak and set it into her knife, leveling it at the group. \u201cMy wand\u2019s accuracy has increased,\u201d she warned. \u201cLower your weapons.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cVery well,\u201d sighed Rellmeer. They dropped their wands. \u201cLook,\u201d continued Rellmeer, \u201cwe can talk this over.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA bit late for that, since you ordered my execution,\u201d hissed Dr. Borg. \u201cFor what it\u2019s worth, though, I DO consider you a friend. Aw, I\u2019m sorry, I didn\u2019t mean to make you lot cry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c…I was rather hoping I was imagining tasting my own blood,\u201d sighed Midiriki. Cuts had appeared all over the group, the advanced stages of Malmaho disease. \u201cI take it that gas was a more advanced version of what you coated my suit with.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was,\u201d confirmed Dr. Borg. \u201cDon\u2019t worry, this won\u2019t take long. See, it\u2019s important that you understand why I did what I did. Baltar, I think you of all people would get it. Others, not so much. Have you ever wondered why I wanted to conquer all the Realms?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAll the Realms?\u201d repeated Rellmeer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes, all of them,\u201d confirmed Dr. Borg. \u201cDid you assume I was a Splitter lackey? They would destabilize my plans. No, I have my own goals for dominance. With my presence exposed, the Fae Military\u2019s top brass could kill me in an instant. Baltar, your father, General Remsey, could finish the job, but he needs me right now. As long as he does what I order, he\u2019s all right.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cKeep talking,\u201d hissed Baltar. \u201cRight now, I\u2019m still thinking about purging whatever virus you made from my body, grabbing the nearest blunt object, and beating your skull in! Right now, talking is keeping you alive!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell, that\u2019s hardly gentlemanly,\u201d snarked Dr. Borg. \u201cHere\u2019s the thing; in exchange for his loyalty, I supply your father with a regular donation, Sprite wings. Last I checked, he was addicted to flying and keeping his wings in motion, never letting his feet touch the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c…He never told me that!\u201d yelped Baltar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNor me,\u201d supplied Rellmeer. \u201cI recall it being a rare condition, but treatable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGeneral Remsey\u2019s not looking for treatment,\u201d dismissed Dr. Borg. \u201cHe wants the next hit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHold on,\u201d interjected Arsha, \u201cyou\u2019re harvesting Sprite wings on his behalf?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn the beginning,\u201d replied Dr. Borg, \u201cit was a clone set of my own wings, but his body was treating them as tumors and he was becoming resistant to the immunosuppressant drugs I was supplying. I couldn\u2019t exactly kidnap Sprites, that would only cause an investigation. However, I remembered a scientific paper saying that the wings of any Fae are the last to die.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou started harvesting from the dead,\u201d realized Rellmeer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs long as he obeyed and didn\u2019t ask questions,\u201d continued Dr. Borg, \u201cI could fuel his addiction. He had dug up some files from your ancestors\u2019 time, Rellmeer. Find the right frequency and a person\u2019s mind is yours to command. However, the technology used WAS ancient. I wasn\u2019t about to just rely on sound, so I drugged up Midiriki and managed to get her to attack the tree while I went for those in the morgues. We may be biologically immortal, but bacteria, viruses, and weapons give us a reason to have graveyards.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI still don\u2019t get it,\u201d called Hanako, \u201chow would feeding General Remsey\u2019s addiction help you conquer the Realms?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA shock-trooper,\u201d replied Rellmeer. \u201cGet a person to suffer enough, feed them enough lies, and you have a puppet who will act like a non-Sentina dog and follow your every command.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cExactly,\u201d confirmed Dr. Borg. \u201cWith people like him under my command, I can have access to all the resources needed to continue my experiments. Now, admit it, you ARE impressed, are you not?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDr. C. Y. Borg,\u201d answered Arsha, \u201cIn this year alone, my crew and I have been held at wand-point by the best. Splitters, Pirates, rogue doctors, rogue Admirals, infiltrators, and I have NEVER known any of them to take so long to explain their grand plan. But, I DO want to thank you. Not only did you convince us you\u2019re getting exactly what you deserve, but you\u2019ve given us the chance to fight back!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFight back?! You lot?!\u201d laughed Dr. Borg. \u201cYou\u2019re in the advanced stages of Malmaho disease! Your bodies\u2019 opened various cuts in your skin as a last ditch effort to purge the illness! Any extraneous activity will cause you to bleed faster! You are, quite literally, falling apart!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYour lab floor is sloped,\u201d replied Arsha. \u201cYou\u2019re at the lowest point while we\u2019re at the highest. We\u2019ve infected you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThose statements don\u2019t correlate!\u201d argued Dr. Borg. \u201cYou haven\u2019t even touched me!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey DO correlate,\u201d argued Hanako, realizing her daughter\u2019s plan. \u201cWhile you were talking, we were bleeding. We must have developed over a hundred cuts and, for the past minute, your big foot was blocking the small river of our infected blood as it traveled down the slope of your floor!\u201d Dr. Borg\u2019s eyes went wide as she looked down to confirm that Hanako was telling the truth! She shrieked as she jumped onto a table to get away, but it was too late. The next time she would use magic, the virus would activate. Baltar ran forward and punched Dr. Borg square in the jaw and grabbed her knife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDamn, that felt good!\u201d he sighed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIdiots!\u201d shouted Dr. Borg. \u201cYou don\u2019t think I wouldn\u2019t create a vaccine in case something like this happened?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was counting on it,\u201d replied Arsha. \u201cHand it over. Slowly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat would you do if I don\u2019t?\u201d asked Dr. Borg. Baltar then leveled the knife at her. \u201cExcept, you can\u2019t do it!\u201d laughed Dr. Borg. \u201cYou can\u2019t shoot me because killing an unarmed combatant would be a stain on your precious \u2018military honor\u2019!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf you MUST know,\u201d growled Baltar, \u201cI can\u2019t shoot because my arm is seizing up and I missed my physical therapy appointment for it!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn that case,\u201d giggled Dr. Borg as she typed a command into her computer, \u201cI\u2019d like you to meet my two friends!\u201d Two guns dropped from the ceiling and fired on her opponents. \u201cOh, and you were never that much of a ruler, Rellmeer,\u201d taunted Dr. Borg as she climbed the ladder that dropped. She got to the top with the vaccine in her mouth while she saw something surprising…Arsha out of her armor and smiling!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd you were never that good of a scientist,\u201d taunted Arsha. Her mouth never moved and she seemed to be glitching in and out of existence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat the?!\u201d spluttered Dr. Borg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA Maho-particle avatar,\u201d explained Arsha. \u201cThe caster manipulates the stray mana particles in the air and makes a copy of themself. This feels different, though. I guess the template\u2019s corrupted. It\u2019s out of fashion these days, you can guess why. It\u2019s mana-intensive, requires total concentration, the avatar\u2019s smile never vanishes while speaking, and the hair never looks right. In fact, the only thing it\u2019s good for…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIs keeping idiots distracted!\u201d finished the armored Arsha as she got off the ladder and charged at Dr. Borg, chopping the Sprite\u2019s wings off with her sword. The avatar vanished as the vaccine tumbled away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNO!\u201d wailed Dr. Borg as the vaccine fell from the building\u2019s roof and into the streets below. Dr. Borg looked helplessly downwards, then growled as she glared at Arsha. \u201cYou imbecile!\u201d she shouted as she tore off her cloak, revealing her scientist get up and her cybernetic legs and right arm. Her feet were built like bird feet. \u201cThat was the only vaccine! You\u2019ve doomed us all!\u201d she roared as she knocked Arsha\u2019s sword out of her hands and started punching. Arsha managed to block a few before grabbing her opponent\u2019s arms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDr. Borg,\u201d she hissed, \u201cmy first year as Captain took me all over the emotional spectrum. I\u2019m still coming to grips with the fact that five people died under my command. The only reason I\u2019m staying on? I still want to protect my people just as those who died! Bottom line, you can\u2019t kill me that easily!\u201d She then crushed Dr. Borg\u2019s cybernetic arm and kicked her over the edge. Dr. Borg then grabbed the roof ledge with her fleshy arm and refused to let go. \u201cJudging by your reactions,\u201d mused Arsha, \u201cI\u2019d say you didn\u2019t have enough time to prepare another body for your mind to inhabit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cArsha, please!\u201d begged Dr. Borg. \u201cYou can\u2019t leave me like this forever!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt won\u2019t be forever,\u201d answered Arsha before she coughed. When she finished, she continued. \u201cYou have three choices right now. You can use magic to levitate yourself up to safety; activating the virus, you can use magic to soften the impact; activating the virus, or you can just fall and pray the impact doesn\u2019t kill you.\u201d Just then, a shot could be heard as a hole appeared in Dr. Borg\u2019s head. The sudden shock from the wound caused Dr. Borg to let go. Arsha looked towards the direction of the shot to see a Fairy holding a spear with a wand set into it and giving a thumbs up. She returned the thumbs up and then collapsed as Marshii called. She dismissed her helmet before accepting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cArsha, don\u2019t you dare die yet!\u201d demanded Marshii. \u201cI\u2019m coming for you with a vaccine!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGood to know,\u201d panted Arsha. \u201cYou may want to hurry though.\u201d She then went unconscious.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Fae Senate had gathered again to hear what Rellmeer had been told. Arsha and Hanako were in attendance. \u201cThis is not credible,\u201d scoffed Baltar. \u201cA Kitsune cannot be so easily hypnotized!\u201d \u201cWith normal hypnosis, yes,\u201d began Arsha, \u201cbut with drugs and a hypnosis suit?\u201d \u201cNo one\u2019s developed a hypnosis suit!\u201d dismissed Baltar. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1911,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[97,94],"tags":[482],"class_list":["post-2038","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-three-realms","category-the-three-realms-book-1-her-highness-the-captain","tag-fantasy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2038","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2038"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2038\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2039,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2038\/revisions\/2039"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1911"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2038"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2038"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2038"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}