Consequences

[Kazkin]

Story Tags: [Unknown] - Players do not know icly what happened here or allude to the events in this story.

“Boris ya fat fucking bald asshole.” Hogg said jovially as he approached the provost marshal down the hall. Boris was one of the few people on the colony who could match the over bosses sheer size, not just in height but in girth as well. This gave them both a small rivalry, cop and criminal, giant to giant, as the over boss raised his hand and Boris mimicked the action, favoring Jeremiah with a small smile that split his passive expression he normally had. “If it wasn’t important you know I would not have called you. Any word on Robert or Tacitus?” He asked as they clasped hands and the game began once more. It was habit really, as they both began to flex and their grips tightened while both heavy weight titans began to crushed each others palms, trying to see who would yield first. It was like this every time they say each other, really, a game that neither man could really remember who started. Whenever they met they’d shake hands and tried to crush the others palm until one or both yielded. So far, neither had ever lost, the grinning over boss and the smiling marshal almost chuckling to break the tension both felt towards the matter that called them here.

Ayandi, the blackshield brigadier standing off to the side waited before breaking them up with a small cough. He was shorter than both of the towering men, his build slight but muscular, almost looking childish next to the two titans despite the fact he was wearing full combat gear, just like Hogg and Boris. “Tacitus declined and Robert is off planet, its just us. No word from lady tiddies but I’m sure she’ll show up.” Hogg said as he broke his grip from Boris at the brigadiers cough. “We gonna kill the little froggy shit head or did ya want muh muscles here so you could start mirin’?” The overboss was half joking, but his beady black eyes were serious as the provost marshal lost his smile and replied in a casual tone. “Let’s see what he has to say.” The ogre replied dryly before they turned to the only door in the hall.

Hogg watched as Boris scanned his card, the door might not open given who was behind it. Tacitus was originally the one to set up the telecomms relay and set up the badge and security system as he was the most trusted among them not to put any back doors. That said, Nakharan was a wily fuck and outside of the rat with the big tiddies he wanted to plow there were few here who could say they knew Nakharan as well as himself. Yet the airlock pinged and the door slid open on oiled hydraulics, the interior to Nakharan’s office before them. It was a clinical area, a singular desk with a small console and a comfy leather chair that the director currently sat in. The walls, floor, and ceiling were white tiles, ones that could peel back to reveal hundreds, maybe thousands, of tools, weapons, consoles, and laser turrets that’d turn them all into ashes so fine they could be mistaken for dust.

Boris stepped into the room regardless, fearless, imposing, his face set into a grim but passive look as he walked up to the desk where the director glowered at him. Ayandi followed suit, more diplomatic and far more passive than Boris, his gaze was more around the room, as if trying to discern which of the hundreds of tiles hid the turrets, the small african man’s hand on his holstered pistol. Hogg came in last, swaggering of course in a gait that suggested he came for drinks, but nobody was fooled by the act. It was a show with him, but his eyes were more on the cluster drive on the table. The supposed mythical object containing hard evidence of the director’s crimes, what they rushed over here to retrieve before the director could modify it after the low council brought it to Nakharan’s doorstep.

“To what do I owe the intrusion, provost marshal?” Nakharan spat, his temper already showing before he stiffened, visible reigning in his anger before he looked to Boris and said more neutrally. “You are here for the drive, I was going to send it to your desk once it has been properly checked.” Hogg snickered at that, earning him an annoyed look from Ayandi which only made him snicker again. Boris was still looking down at Nakharan, his face still an impassive but grim frown. He was waiting for Nakharan to continue, for the director to explain more. Hogg recognized this interrogation tactic, let a person hang themselves, just as he was wondering if it’d work Nakharan spoke. “My own overseer elected to bring this information to light, do you really think I’d attempt to destroy it? Modify it? You are losing your edge, provost.” He said, his tone growing more dismissive, his green clammy hand pushing the drive across the desk to Boris. “Take a look, the drive has a wireless card rigged to it, if it was plugged in without proper precaution the data would be across the colony already. I have not looked at it.”

Boris continued to remain silent for a few seconds longer, the ogre abhuman drawing out the pause before he reached a hand down and picked up the cluster drive as he spoke, “For security reasons, my marshals shall be overseeing the decryption and verification of all the present data, Nakharan.” His tone was casual, leading with a statement that was a given and entirely true as he asked a question immediately after, “Why didn’t you send for me the moment you obtained the drive?” Hogg kept his face impassive, but internally he was smiling. As a career criminal himself, he knew the song and dance, the casual almost friendly tone, the dismissive way a statement that was factually true followed a question that seemed innocent on the surface. People like Nakharan who thought themselves the smartest person in the room often said the stupidest most incriminating shit in interrogations, thinking they could ‘convince’ the cop across the table and Hogg wasn’t the least bit surprised when Nakharan fell for it. “I needed to first verify the drive wasn’t rigged with anything malignant, the last thing we need is a hivemind incursion in the Soteria labs.” The director replied.

“I see.” Boris replied, nodding in seeming agreement, though it was evident to Hogg that the director just admitted he planned to check the drive before bringing in anyone else to verify its integrity. “Reasonable.” Boris continued, “Containing the hive mind must have been a difficult task. What exactly happened with the containment?” An open question, one that relied on Nakharan being arrogant enough to explain instead of simply claiming ignorance. Once more Hogg observed Nakharan fall before his own ego. “I will lay things bare for you, provost. The hive mind came from my labs, prior to the forming of Nadezhda, several decades in fact. It was formed by a failed experiment.” As the director spoke the white tiles behind him opened, revealing a large telescreen that switched on to display what must have been security footage of a roiling mass of black nanites contained in a borosilicate cage. “Before anything could be done with it, it broke containment when-”

The airlock hissed open suddenly, the door sliding up as Augustine entered the office, flanked on both sides by two of her divisors armored in their crusader suits, one had oil dripping down his chest, but both had their swords in their sheathes. “When.” She said, in the small stunned silence that followed her entrance, “I attempted to right your wrongs before it could destroy everything. A pity you attempted to stop me, dear Nakharan, or I would have succeeded.” Augustine had no weapons, Hogg noted, using the cover of leering at her body to check both her and her guard for any surprises. He guessed the dripping oil on the crusader to Augustine’s left was the remains of a turret that ‘malfunctioned’ and tried to gun them down. Or it was just an unlucky kraftwerk roach they encountered, lord knows Hogg found roaches in the most inconvenient places. “It escaped because of you, rat.” Nakharan said, his anger surfacing like someone threw fuel on a small fire. “You had to only follow orders and we could have done so much. You betrayed everything the Soteria stood for. And for what?! Your failed attempt at a religion? If you had followed containment protocol this would have never happened in the first place.”

Boris stepped to the side, Ayandi moving alongside him as the pair waited, letting the argument play out so one or both could reveal all the details they may need. Hogg meanwhile, felt like a kid who just got a week’s worth of Christmas presents all at once, he enjoyed a good shit show and watching the marital problems between the colony’s most autistic frog and a delusional cultist really needed some god damn popcorn by his reckoning. He almost laughed, but he didn’t want to draw attention to himself just yet.

“My faith is what let us prevail against your creation, dear Nakharan, my cruciform showed me the truth that day, as this drive.” She nodded to the cluster drive that Boris was still holding. “Will show the same.” She was speaking quietly, softly almost, despite the fact that her two masked crusaders stood vigil at her flanks. Hogg wagered that even with their advanced equipment that between him, Ayandi, and Boris they could kill both if they turned hostile. He speculated why she brought them, more so why they lacked visible badges, it could been anyone under those suits and the display must have been a power move. Before he could speculate as to why though, Nakharan turned his gaze to Boris. “She is the reason the hivemind escaped, had she not done what she did this never would have been a problem in the first place.”

Boris nodded, but he remained silent, it was one of his best tricks Hogg wagered, just letting people talk. Boris turned his impassive face to Augustine, with no words he prompted her to speak and she obliged. “It was in the midst of escaping when I was called to carry out the Absolute’s will. Nakharan set his machines upon me and I failed in my task, it was why, Boris, that my church is so dedicated to ridding this world of its…” Her eyes drifted to Nakahran. “Evils.” She concluded. Hogg couldn’t help himself, he reached a hand out and flicked a broad blunt finger on the exposed metal of his holstered pistol, making a few distinct metal tings. “Shots fired.” He said quietly before chuckling, earning an annoyed look from everyone in the room but Augustine, who merely smiled at his antics.

Ayandi spoke up now, unlike Boris who radiated authority, he sounded more curious, not like an investigator but merely an observer trying to make sense of things. “So, to be sure, you’re saying that your lab created the hive mind Nakharan, and when it was trying to escape, Augustine here attempted to destroy it instead of recapturing it?” His calm brown eyes looking at the mar’qua as Nakharan nodded. “If she had followed procedure instead of disobeying it’d have been easily handled.” His anger was slow to reign in, Hogg observed, he could not remember the last time Nakharan and Augustine had been in the same room. Getting everyone together at once was quite difficult, after all. “My labs may have created it but it is her and her ilk that are responsible for the hivemind being what it is. The way it mutated, changed… it isn’t even salvageable now.”

“I see.” Ayandi said, but Hogg had the feeling that this was a trick. “But, if it was escaping already and Augustine used her cruciform to attempt destroying it… Wouldn’t that line up perfectly with when you claimed she stole the cruciform technology?” Ayandi’s tone was polite, but Hogg figured even the two brainless silent crusaders could see the hostility in that question. Nakharan remained silent, glowering at the brigadier before Boris spoke, “That would mean that, the story we were fed, the videos we were given were all fake or altered. It would mean, unless I am mistaken, you’ve been lying to us, Nakharan.” The huge ogre of a man looked to Ayandi, who nodded in agreement, but the pair looked to Augustine as Boris continued, “All of that makes sense, but what I don’t get is. Why didn’t you tell us the truth, Augustine? It would have helped not only you but your churches image. Why did you keep it from us?”

Augustine let the silence carry out with the question, her hands clasped around her belly as she seemed to consider Boris’s words carefully. When she finally spoke, she sounded regretful, “Nakharan took my refusal to share the secrets of my cruciform technology as an insult, he took my actions as betrayal, as denying him knowledge he felt was owed to him.” Nakharan grimaced, but remained silent. “At one point we were friends, we created so much together, so many marvels and wonders. I haven’t forgotten what we once were, I have not forgotten that once he called himself my friend. To correct his actions, to accuse him openly would have done nothing but taint the memories I have.” Her black eyes drifted from Boris to Nakharan, her expression shifted too, a small saddened frown before she loosed a low sigh. She looked to Boris again, “We succeeded in destroying the hivemind and it is god’s will that all of the institutes mistakes be laid bare so publicly. It is not what I wanted, dear Boris, not even for one who has wounded me and my people so.” Hogg looked towards Nakharan, his grimace was now a blank expression that the over boss couldn’t read. Still, he readied himself, placing his hand on his pistol discretely because things were heating up by his guess.

Augustine cast her gaze one final time to Nakharan, looking at him in silence before she spoke, her words carrying in the silence of the office. “All that you have done, my friend. You are forgiven.” Then her back was turned, her crusaders following in step behind her as she left the rest of them in silence. The airlock eased closed behind her, the room suddenly becoming uncomfortable in ways Hogg didn’t quite pick up on right away. It wasn’t until his head started to ache that he realized what was happening, his gaze shooting to Mkne as the mar’qua was sitting at his desk, hands crackling with psionic energy. Hogg and Boris were fast, unnaturally so for men so big, but Ayandi was quicker. A black shadow like a splatter of blurred ink as he bounded around the desk on mechanical muscles, a single hand placed on Nakharan’s shoulder, squeezing it as the other braced a pistol against the director’s head.

“Calm yourself, Nakharan.” Ayandi said sternly, “If you attack us here, we will kill you. Stay your hand and you’ll get out of this with little sanction.” There was a pause, a careful moment of consideration as all three men waited in silence while that emotionless little psychopathic psion ran the numbers and probabilities, Hogg could practically see him doing the odds in that head of his and as much as he hated to admit it if anyone could take them all out it’d be Nakharan. The man had all kinds of devices and dangerous destructive weapons that kept their enemies at bay, after all. But fortune, or more accurately logic, favored them as the crackling of purple energy at Nakharan’s hands ceased after a moment.

“What have you decided?” Nakharan asked as Ayandi lowered his pistol and stepped away. “You’ll get the full details sent to you in writing.” Boris replied, committing to nothing for now Hogg noted. “As for this drive… You said it had a wireless card, one that would send the information across the colony?” Nakharan nodded, his blank expression annoyed the over-boss, given how… uncanny it was. He was once more reminded that if Nakharan hadn’t been a psion, he’d put the odds high that he was secretly a robot. “Then I hope you’ve been honest with us, Nakharan. Because this drive is being given to the public.” Boris continued, much to the surprise of everyone else. Ayandi spoke first, “It was the low council’s decision.” He observed, he was making a connection that Hogg took a bit longer to make. “Aww, the big ol’ family ‘ere can’t just work together? Gotta let the kids handle it eh?” Hogg drawled sarcastically, the danger had passed it seemed.

Much to the pig man’s annoyance though, nobody reacted to his joke. Instead Boris turned away, “There is a lot to consider and think about, but this… Nakharan.” He paused, looking back to the director. “Your institute and research is the only reason this colony hasn’t been destroyed and why, despite being so small, we are such a big contender on this frontier. But do not think, Nakharan Mkne, that we won’t throw you in a cell if you push your luck. You’re useful, not indispensable.” Boris was glaring now, the first emotion he showed this entire interview, letting his gaze linger on the mar’qua for a few seconds before he turned and left. Ayandi followed suit, sparing the over boss and director a curious glance before leaving with the provost marshal.

Hogg chuckled, he made no move to leave just yet, his gaze on the airlock as it closed behind the pair before he turned to Nakharan who merely looked at him disdainfully. “Man, a threat from Boris, that dun’ happen much does it?” Hogg said, his tone was taunting, insulting, and sarcastic all at once. “Think the last time he threatened one o’ us was me, back when we got into that little fist fight. He’s lucky his back up dancer Ayandi was there to save his ass.” The over-boss boasted, chuckling while he made his way over to Nakharan’s desk, leaning on the edge of it before crossing his huge muscled arms. “Just a shame they didn’t say what we all know but can’t address, ya know?”

Nakharan said nothing, just looking at Hogg without emotion, but the over boss was in his element now and the director couldn’t really stop him. “Ya know, the thing that, if the marshals investigated and found out, would result in you being executed. The thing everybody, even mild mannered Tacitus knows.” Still Nakharan said nothing, Hogg figured he wouldn’t, he also figured that the mar’qua knew Hogg had a recorder in his pocket too despite the fact he told no one. “Tell me there frog boy. When Auggy and her glowing dick heads were at that abandoned fortress. What jammed the bluespace teleporter? Not like the hivemind has access to bluespace after all, its almos’ like, an’ bear with me ‘ere, a certain someone damned the entire expedition by destroying there only escape route in an effort to get revenge on the little tit rat there.”

Hogg was laughing now, joking with his tone and yet his eyes were serious, accusing really as they bored into the expressionless mar’qua. “But hey, maybe Boris doesn’t want to investigate that, maybe he thinks all the evidence has been destroyed. Or maybe such an accusation as it was would be too hot to take out of the fire? Dunno what that potato faced dick’ead thinks, but if ya ask me, everyone knows but everyone thinks no harm no foul given ol’ Jun got everyone out alive.” The over boss stood up from the desk now, uncrossing his arms as he went towards the door. “Thing about us prospectors, ol’ son, is erry’one thinks big boss Hogg is just some idiot thug. You know better though, its why you have me act as your enforcer.” Hogg paused at the airlock, pressing the button to open it before he glanced back at Nakharan, a smile on his ugly features to the mar’qua’s blank look. “I wonder who tipped Jun off to monitor things? Who told’em to have a ship prepped and ready?” He said, laughing again as he disappeared through the doorway and left Nakharan alone to this thoughts.