Imperial Administration Complex

The LDA Agent scowled and then he turned to his comrade, while the one who left the room returned after a few moments. He had wheeled in a cart filled to the brim with various implements of torture, from scalpels, to razors, electrodes, and a few other assortment of goods.

The lead Agent shook his head, and then he turned to the Agent with the cart, who moved over towards Qalia, and attempted to grab one of her arms and hold the hand flat out on the table. Should this succeed, the Agent with the baton would bring the weapon swiftly down across the alien's knuckles, likely causing immense pain.

"We can do this all day. Why have you come here." The lead Agent said, his voice now much firmer while another pair of agents entered the room, and would move to attempt to bind all four arms behind the back of the chair. The lead one then grabbed a water soaked rag from the water bucket on the cart.

"This can go really easy for you, or this can go very hard."

Qâlia's arm was grabbed, and she made no outward indication of pain as her hand was struck with the presumably heavy baton. The safir remained stoic and emotionless as she was bound and readied for waterboarding.

"I know not myself why I am here; when I asked, my commanding officer said to me the words that I just said to you."

Contrary to expectation, what the small squadron of vulture's found as they neared the coast was far from devoid of life. Arastel was the pinnacle of Isirian advancement and the planet was characterized by its sprawling cities and dense populations. The city that loomed ahead, once the capital of Isiria, was no different.

Illumene served as an impressive sight to behold as it stretched as far as the eye could see, both pristine and largely devoid of the pollution one might expect to find within a city of its magnitude. Even the azure waters of the bay remained clear and untarnished.

The approaching vultures had scarcely reached the outer stretches of the bay when they were being hailed by the locals.

"Attention unidentified vessels, you're instructed to break off from your current course immediately and allow yourselves to be escorted to the nearest port. If you do not break off, you will be fired upon. I repeat, you will be fired upon."

Several jets were descending upon the squadron in an escort formation, ready to guide them to a nearby landing strip just outside of the city - or to engage them if necessary.

"She's lying! She's a spy!" One of the Agents snapped, while tossing the rag up and down in his hand. The Lead one held up his hand before he turned to one of his comrades.

"Summon the Confessor Cabal, appraise them of the situation." The Other Agent offered a quick and abrupt nod before he started out of the room, the Lead agent leaning forward while the man with the rag held it in front of the Safir's face. Of course the leader, or who seemed to be doing the questioning began with a different line of questioning.

"What is the military strength and where is the home world of your civilization, what are their political predispositions, and their technology level. Questions you can no doubt answer." He then withdrew a picture of her weapons from his file folder. "Judging by your weapons you're not all that advanced, maybe Tier four." He said, looking over the file folder. "How many worlds do you know of are colonized by your civilization."

"Certainly you were sent to Arastel for a purpose, I do not think your commanders would hide the details of a mission you are to carry out. Perhaps certain details, but not the purpose. Were you to make contact? Perhaps you're a spy. The Empire executes spies after forcibly extracting information from the brain. The more cooperative you are, the more comfortable we can make you. Surely if your mission was diplomatic you'd tell us so we could rectify your unfortunate situation."

Qâlia stares at the rag being held in front of her face.

"Safiria is a great star empire, though I must confess I don't keep abreast of her internal politics. As you have no doubt already surmised from that statement, our technology level is quite great.

"The entirety of Arm 11 of this galaxy comprises our territory. And as for the purpose of my visit, my commanding officer never divines her reasons for her orders — whenever questioned on the subject, she says they're classified.

"But I am most certainly not a spy. I have deduced from the orders issued to myself and the sisters of my unit that I was sent to identify this world's fitness for safir inhabitance ahead of a diplomatic visit."

The Agent nodded, and with a gesture of his hand, the agent with the rag backed off, and dropped it in the water bucket. "Safir habitation..." He said, stroking his chin. "To inhabit these worlds would spell death to your people. The Divine Shadow has decreed only humanity may inhabit and control the stars. They have a destiny to rule over all alien races." The lone agent said.

"A species as... exotic." He uttered the word 'exotic' as if it were a foul taste in his mouth.

".. Would only find death and enslavement in Aschen worlds unless your species garnered favor with the Divine Shadow."

A moment went by and an Agent whispered in the lead Agent's ear.

"It seems the Military has taken an interest, You've been relatively compliant thus far.. And it appears the Divine Shadow has decided to grant you an audience."

The Agent nodded, and with a gesture of his hand, the agent with the rag backed off, and dropped it in the water bucket. "Safir habitation..." He said, stroking his chin. "To inhabit these worlds would spell death to your people. The Divine Shadow has decreed only humanity may inhabit and control the stars. They have a destiny to rule over all alien races." The lone agent said.

"A species as... exotic." He uttered the word 'exotic' as if it were a foul taste in his mouth.

".. Would only find death and enslavement in Aschen worlds unless your species garnered favor with the Divine Shadow."

A moment went by and an Agent whispered in the lead Agent's ear.

"It seems the Military has taken an interest, You've been relatively compliant thus far.. And it appears the Divine Shadow has decided to grant you an audience."

"If your close-minded ape of a shadow-king refuses to recognise the existence of other species, then I have no reason or desire to speak at it."

"Let's not put words in my mouth." Echoed the voice of a strange figure as the door parted to reveal an imposing individual in a strange pleated black robe.

"I happened to be in the area overseeing some of my Special Projects.."

Almost immediately the Agents stepped aside. "We worship his shadow."

"Release this woman of her bindings, Come I wish to have an audience with her." He said, gesturing to the collar and the wrist bindings, which came loose and fell free to the ground.

"I have been monitoring your exchange with these agents, do not mind them, they merely fear that which they do not understand."

Qâlia merely stares at the black-robed man, syrinx-singing in confusion, eyebrow raised into infinity.

The Black Hand walked alongside The Divine Shadow quietly as he led them through the complex, her hands folded into the sleeves of her robes and her head kept low enough as to shadow her face within the folds of her crimson cowl.

It wasn't until her husband had finished speaking that a light smile played at the corner of her lips and she spoke in turn.

"Unfortunately," the woman explained as a door was opened into an outdoor courtyard within the center of the complex where several armed men were standing at ready. "What my husband has failed to mention is that while we do not fear you, you are more valuable to us dead - unable to warn your people of the coming storm."

She gestured for two of the armed guard to seize Qalia and drag her towards a nearby wall within the open courtyard. The stone was scorched and seared from numerous executions via firing squad.

"You have proven most cooperative. You will be rewarded with a quick death."

The Divine shadow remained silent as he nodded to Kianna's words. "Yes, well said, Black hand." He said as he followed them out, the Sergeant nodding to the men as they readied their weapons, Disruptor rifles, an Aschen staple.

"Present arms!" The sergeant called out, while a Confessor spoke.

"Perhaps she would be more better suited as a life of slavery, I know there's some slavers back home who would pay top cubit for a slave like this one."

The Black Hand raised an eye to the Confessor that had spoken. The recommendation held merit. There was no real profit to be had in executing the woman, and for every individual Kianna had transferred to her division, there were twenty more she had rejected. The less dangerous ones might well turn a hefty profit on the slave market to provide much needed funds for the division. Mollem had already been pressuring her about the expenses necessary to keep it running.

With slavery now legalized, slaves were in high demand among the workforce - especially among the less favorable job fields. Mining operations on planets like Cryo were too harsh for most civilians, but slaves?

She raised a hand briefly to stay the sergeant.

"Perhaps there is value in your life, after all," she remarked to Qalia.

She looked to the Divine Shadow then, awaiting his decision on the matter.

"If you value your lives and the life of your goddesses-forsaken country, you shall deliver me unmolested into the hands of my people. If you do no such thing, I shall ensure that no sympathy is felt for you."

Mollem slowly shook his head. "I have no strong feelings either way, her threats offend me, however." He said, waving his hand.

"Ensure that she is sold to the most brutal of slavers, at the highest price.."

The Black Hand raised a brow to Qalia's threat, but she was seemingly more amused than concerned.

"The Cryo mines should suit your wishes well," the Black Hand replied to Mollem. "I hear that on Cryo it's cheaper to work their slaves to death and get new ones than it is to feed and cloth them properly against the elements," she mused.

She gestured for the confessors to re-restrain the woman and to replace the inhibitor around her neck now that it seemed an execution was off the table.

She approached the alien woman as the confessors began to restrain her and she grabbed Qalia's chin to get a good look at her.

"If you're any judge of your people, I do not think we have much to be worried about," the Black Hand told her. "It will be good for you to learn that you're now the property of the Aschen Empire."

Moving away from Qalia, the Black Hand joined Mollem in leaving to go see to other matters. As they exited the courtyard of the facility they could be heard discussing plans for a public execution of the Isirian man who had tried to aid Qalia, but they eventually drifted out of earshot.

Meanwhile Qalia would be taken to a holding cell until it was time to transport her to Cryo.

Val would come to in a simple white-washed room with a metal table, two chairs, and a single door. Both of her wrists had been firmly secured to the arms of the chair, and a sticky feeling matted her hair to her brow where a ragged gash had been split open by the butt of a rifle. The back of her head throbbed painfully as well where the initial blow had struck. The concussion would leave Val feeling dizzy and disoriented, with her thoughts muddied and unclear. A drowsiness and a heavy nausea would linger over her, but no medical treatment had yet been provided.

She would find that she had been stripped of all of her equipment which rested on the nearby table - including the cyanide pill she had previously attempted to commit suicide with. No one else appeared to be present, and she was left to her solitude in the large, empty room.

Even beffore Val opened her eyes she felt horrible, her head was throbbing and she felt like she might vomit all over herself though there was nothing in her stomach to actually vomit. She tried to remember where she was and how she had ended up here but all she remembered was being in the battle and seeing something red. Am I dead? She thought gloomily. She opened her eyes slowly to see the room around her and all of her gear layed out before her. No not dead... this, this is much worse than death. She thought. She had heard about Aschen interrogation death would probably be better than this place. Ben the Merc, that was with them had muttered about the Aschen interrogations. He didn't give many details but he said he never wanted to relive that again.

Val was left to stew over her thoughts for about a half-hour before that door finally opened to admit none other than the Aschen Empress herself. Whatever horrors Val might have contrived up in her head during that time had likely not anticipated the tall blonde woman. Among the hatred of the Isirian Insurgents, Kianna ranked up there with Mollem and the Black Hand. She had a reputation for brutality to make even her husband appear tame, and many believed it was Kianna herself that was behind the oppression and subjugation of the Isirian mutants. Her name was often linked to many disappearance, as well as the Lakeside District Massacre a month ago.

Kianna had insisted on interrogating this one personally, and had likewise insisted that she not be disturbed. Only two guards could be seen outside the door before it closed behind her.

"Do you know who I am?" Kianna asked as she approached the table and took the seat across from Val.

She folded one leg neatly over the other and set the file down on the table before folding her hands in her lap. She watched Val with a pointed curiosity.

Val had been sitting in the room for a half an hour worrying about what might come through that door. She had expected to see one of the fabled confessors enter the room but instead she saw a blond woman enter. At first she was a bit relieved until she got a look at the womans face. A flash of rage would appear across Vals face.

"How could I not." Val said sarcastically rolling her eyes. Her head was pounding but something was nagging her.Why of all people would this woman be here. "Why are you here? I'm clearly not important enough to draw someone like your attention am I?" She asked.

Kianna raised a brow at Val's somewhat aggressive response. If she was angry or offended though, it never showed. Curious maybe, but not angry.

"Do I not have a duty to the well being of all Aschen citizens?" she inquired. "Even the misguided ones?"

No doubt referring to Val as an Aschen would only rile the woman further, but Kianna herself seemed calm and collected enough.

"There's a trio of confessors out there, and they want to extract whatever information they can from you, before having you executed for treason. I want to help make sure that doesn't happen. Whatever you might think of me, I, nor my husband, are the villainous monsters that you might perceive us as."

As furious as Val was with this woman something about what she said peaked her interest. "And why would you want to help me? I highly doubt it would be out of the good of your heart. So why something about me must intrigue you." Val said her voice was still hot with anger but she wanted to know what this woman possibly wanted out of her.

"If you think being nice is going to get me talking your probably wrong." Val added, with a look that was almost daring the woman to try.

"I don't need you to talk, Sasha Matthews," Kianna replied. "I need you to listen. The charges being placed against you are quite serious," she explained. "This group of 'freedom fighters' you associate with are nothing more than terrorists. In the eyes of this Empire, you too are nothing more than a terrorist. It is my belief that you're more than that though."

She withdrew a small device that she set on the table. The device contained within it a holographic recording of the assault on the Illumene Spaceport from her own combat suit. She pressed the button and let the scene play back out again.

Val would be met with a recording of Reto firing explosive rounds into the confines of the space port which resulted in countless wounded and injured. Police vehicles were destroyed by Urza, killing numerous police officers guilty of nothing more than doing their jobs. Civilians fell in the crossfire between the law enforcement officers and the insurgents, while one captive took up a gun and opened fire on none other than Val herself in a blind effort to take down the Black Hand at any cost - even the life of the very woman who had been trying to free them.

It was at that point that Kianna froze the playback as the Black Hand turned to shield Val from the Isirian captive.

"Tell me, do you know why these prisoners were being transported to Cryo?" she inquired.

Val watched the footage carefully she hadn't remeber this part but seeing it was a bit overwhelming. She watched as civilians fell and many were blow to bits. She began to feel a bit sick and then seeing the black hand protect her almost caused her to faint. She felt a drip of sweat along her brow. Could this be true have I made a horrible mistake?

"I was told they were being sold into slavery for the fact that they were mutants. What would you have me believe they were criminals? I was raised on a back water planet it wouldn't make a difference to me anyways people are people not slaves." Val said her voice shaking slightly. But her eyes kept drifting to the image of the black hand shielding her from the bullets.

"Then you would have us release criminals into the streets?" Kianna asked with an arch of her brow. "Every one of them were convicted criminals, sentenced to hard labor on Cryo. As you should be aware, enslavement of an Aschen citizen is illegal, and expressly forbidden by our constitution. These men and women you valiantly sought to free were tried and found guilty of treason, but they were not slaves."

Kianna left the frozen holograph on the table, seeing the visible affect it was having on Val.

She settled back in her chair seemingly casual and comfortable, next to Val's unease.

"That man there," she said with a nod towards the holograph, "Was a weapons smuggler, who supplied insurgency groups with the hardware needed to detonate a bomb in Brillion, killing twenty-seven Isirian civilians whose only crime was loyalty to this Empire. Tell me, Sasha, what wrongs, what crimes have the Aschen Empire committed to your people that justify these actions? We have brought Isiria a new era of order and prosperity, offered tax relief to agricultural planets, erected watchtowers along your borders for the safety of Isiria, provided military advancements, and extended relief efforts where these insurgencies have claimed the lives of Isirian and Aschen alike. What do your 'freedom fighters' have to show? Suicide bombings, terrorism, and intolerance of those loyal to the Empire? What exactly is it that you're fighting for."

She opened the folder then, sliding several pieces of paper across the table to be placed in a row before Val. Upon each where photographs, and death certificates.

"These are the men and women killed in the attack on the Illumene Space Port," she explained.

The papers continued to accumulate, men, women, even one child. Some were officers of the CPF, others were security guards, but some were just civilians caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"Tell me what this child did to warrant him being gunned down in a crossfire between your 'freedom fighters' and the Illumene Police," she asked as she lay the photo of the seven year old Isirian boy on top of the rest. The child's face was ashen, the blood drained from it where he was laid out on an autopsy table.

"Now I can have you tried and convicted for each and every one of these deaths," Kianna continued. "Or you can work with me to prevent this from occurring again. I can sweep Sasha Matthews into obscurity, quietly executed for treason, leaving Val Webber an opportunity to make amends to the families of these victims."