[Pure Quintesson-centered story] The Quintesson Scientist Emphisa goes outside the facility for just a midday break, and gets caught up in an emergency facility lock-down. To make matters worse Salaxorius, Master of Inquisition, got locked out too. And he's looking for some amusement.
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Tales of Quintessa: Between Science and Justice.
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The entrance plaza to the Khalanxis Tower Facility was bustling today.
A relatively generic single-headed Quintesson drifted out of a corridor, keen eyes observing the area. It looked like your average mono-head variant, with two exceptions: Other Quintessons often greeted it overly respectfully as they passed, and it was missing part of a tentacle. That last bit earned some curious stares, but no-one dared to inquire on the origin of the injury.
The Quintesson's name was Emphisa. He was the chief of one of the research labs present in the Khalanxis tower on Quintessa. This made him a much respected figure around the area, although he was far from the top tier of Khalanxis central figures.
Emphisa drifted towards the main hall exit; there was a small waiting line as alien visitors were checked before being allowed to leave. Guardsmen made sure that everyone went to the queue meant for them, and that they at least once turned into the sights of a security camera. There were plenty of those, but they wanted to make sure. The Empire demanded that a good watch be kept on traffic in and out of the territory.
Emphisa calmly levitated to a section of the clearance line where only one ordained Allicon was standing, firm and observant. The creation bowed, "Master Creator Emphisa Sir, good day. Going out, Sir? The law dictates that I must inquire as to your destination, Sir. Would you kindly state your destination for system registration, Sir?"
"I do, Allicon. You may register that I am going out for only a little moment; I will be spending my midday break at the plaza here in front of the entrance hall." Emphisa answered, pressing one tentacle to the reading screen accompanying the gate. With a beep, his presence and time of departure was logged into the system. Emphisa knew that multiple departments focused solely on the tracking and archiving of resource movement. With just a single beep at least 500 observers were made privy of his whereabouts.
The Empire had a formidable security system.
"Registration logged, Sir. Enjoy your midday break, Master Creator Emphisa Sir." The allicon nodded respectfully before turning and appropriately greeting the next Quintesson in line.
Emphisa moved on and soon found himself outside. He turned and looked upwards along the walls of the tower. The exterior was a pale white metal, constructed as an unyielding pillar with all of its technology hidden behind panels. Holographic projectors projected the Sigil of the Empire high into the sky, accompanying the lime-green banners placed around the plaza.
Only by turning around to view the building that was home and workplace in one did he see his faithful bodyguard following him. Cindermaw had ducked into beastmode and was standing around idle, tail slowly swishing low over the ground. His yellow optics were keenly observing the plaza for threats. It was his job; he needed to pinpoint threats before they could harm his Quintesson master.
Emphisa turned and decisively crossed the yard to gaze out over the planet's surface. The unforgiving jungle just outside the defended perimeter appeared thick and unconquerable, with cries of several native creatures drifting on the wind. Emphisa had never been in the wilds. He knew that Fernicius had gone on an expedition once, and the tales surely didn't inspire him to ever go. By the ancestors, he rarely even came out here on the plaza. That… might be considered negligence, since today was a fine day. He inhaled deeply and was quick to dismiss the budding notion that he should go outside more often. Only diplomats and space-bound Quints went outside. The others usually had better things to do; he would be showing different behavior, and that would lead to a lot of questions. Good Quintessons were not questioned on their behavior: Their actions were transparent, just, and never unexpected.
His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a loud blaring alarm that cut through the peacefulness of the plaza. Emphisa whirled around, face betraying the fear that the alarm instilled in him. An attack? Here? Right now? He watched as armored panels collapsed before the tower windows, sealing the building. The Allicon guards standing at the entrance mercilessly sealed the large ornate doors granting entrance to the facility; They did so in military fashion, with absolute disregard on which end of the door a visitor to Khalanxis might find themselves. They moved as one, reacting in complete accord to the protocols they were programmed with.
Emphisa turned and rested his gaze expectantly upon Cindermaw who had cocked his head and was clearly scouring the internal communications channels. The single-headed Quintesson forced the fear from his face, and waited till the Allicon lifted his head back to normal tilt and straightened.
"Security breach in the prisons of the Halls of Justice, Master Creator Emphisa Sir. Preventive shut down is in effect until further notice from Security Enforcement. They offer their deepest apologies for the hindrance."
"I see. That's an inconvenience." Emphisa said. He turned and levitated off. His vector of movement was mimicked by every other Quintesson who happened to be outside. If they had been in conversation, they apologized themselves. If they had been directing a group of Sharkticons, they left them standing.
Each of them moved calmly and orderly to a side building where the Empire's sigil was hewn in stone above the door. A group of guards made sure that only Quintessons approached the building.
Emphisa carried on inside, absently noticing that Cindermaw's heavy footfalls stopped at the threshold. Allicons not allowed.
He went through the short corridor and came upon a room. Emphisa had once seen the blueprints and knew that it was a hyper-secured vault specifically designed to keep Quintessons locked outside of the tower safe in times of emergency. It held basic amenities and a Sharkticon unit was courteously taking orders for beverages. The calmness that reigned in here was in shrill contrast with the sudden chaos that had spawned outside amidst the visitors who were accosted for security checks as soon as all the Quintessons had safely disappeared from view.
Before he had found himself a comfortable place to wait and sit the lockdown out, Emphisa already heard the familiar chime as a big screen in one of the walls came to life. With a bright and happy jingle it flashed the Empire's logo. It briefly showed fragments of Quintessons at work in several departments: A logistics engineer crossed off cargo trucks as they passed by, a team of scientists were focused on a holographic model of a molecular structure, a pilot was docking at a station and communicating with the control tower. There was a short clip of a massive army of Allicons saluting in unison and chanting praise to the Quintesson Empire before the Sigil came back into view. This time it was marked with a subtext: Special update. The text flashed before the splash screen dispersed. It made place for a video feed of a Quintesson. Emphisa recognized it as Tho'Chobai.
"Greetings, Brothers and Sisters of our glorious Empire!" Tho'Chobai spoke clearly, flashing a proud smile filled with merit and joy. Emphisa noticed how some Quintessons who had been relatively neutral in their emotions immediately began smiling back. "We are currently experiencing a delightful moment of attempted escape by a group of Selmax Sector Mercenaries. I have gotten in contact with Security Control and they report that the situation is already contained. These mercenaries from Selmax were scheduled for trial and execution today and of course an external party of their allies attempted to assist them in escaping Justice. The Security Control Commander has informed me personally that the current lockdown is a preventive measurement to ensure no Brother or Sister sustains injuries while Security Control arrests the prisoners and their aides. We do offer our sincere apologies for the slight delay that this means for those of you who find themselves incapable of reaching their workstations due to this event. We understand that this without a doubt brings a sense of frustration because there is only so much work that can be done in a day, but we must all remember: the Empire cares about all of us. If it doesn't keep you save, you can't do your great work for it. We may all be grateful for being part of it. All-"
"-Hail the Empire." Emphisa spoke automatically with Tho'Chobai. He wasn't the only one; every Quintesson he could see and hear was speaking the same words. Some spoke it deftly, others with great delight.
"And! Speaking about great work: our most honored, revered and beloved Overseer has extended me an earlier publication of the monthly report, and I can't help but share this with you, dear Brothers and Sisters; I might've seen a sliver of pride on his visage. Here we go, the report of our endeavors-"
Emphisa listened dutifully as Tho'Chobai transmitted figures through the video screen, cheering appropriately at times.
The report spoke on how new privileges are granted to the Quinta-Tora squad of spacefighters by the Universal Court of Warfare: this meant that the Quintessons could now legally execute military interceptions of criminals in twenty additional sectors in space. The Empire had renewed a mercantile contract with a longstanding trade relationship, and a new space-faring species had signed an agreement that would bind them as customers to the Quintesson Empire for a decade. They had increased their harvest productions, and build plus sold more Sharkticon units than in the previous two months.
"-And our combined efforts have ensured a 3% rise in the exportation of Adamantium Ore to the Silixians! We are now the main supplier of ore to their war effort! We can be very proud, Brothers and Sisters! All-"
"-Hail the Empire!" The Quintesson voices picked up in cheer. Their species was not known to cheer or show any other excessive form of glee; they usually kept to celebrationary chuckles. But Tho'Chobai's news reports held a certain tone of voice that picked up their spirits and got them fixated. Fernicius (when he was still new to the division) had once made an idle comment that he always heard this weird buzz below Chobi's' voice. Emphisa had shot him a dirty look and hissed at his subordinate to stop being such an outsider. You don't go around saying things like that, and you don't go shortening the name of a well-respected Quintesson. The news was a major source of information; it was important. It demanded respect.
"All hail our Empire, Brothers and Sisters. All hail our glorious nation!" Tho'Chobai ended, voice laced with a contagious twinge of happiness.
"All hail the Empire!" Everyone replied as one. The voices were no longer scattered, some trailing after the others. By now, they all spoke in unison.
The broadcast ended. The screen transcended into a non-stop slideshow of images showing accomplishments and terrain and space stations under Quintesson control. In fact, every image sported the Quintesson logo somewhere.
Those present in the room turned to one another and continued any conversation they were engaged in prior to the news report. After a moment, Emphisa noticed how some of them drifted inconspicuously away from one area of the room. The area he found himself in.
Wait… That normally only happens when…
Emphisa hesitated, neutrally turning around.
'Oh dear.'
"Ah, Emphisa. I was unaware that scientists came out of their labs for purposes other than showing half-forged pet projects." The voice belonged to the five-headed Quintesson who had, credit where credit due, snuck up on him. /Salaxorius/. He must've entered during the broadcast.
Emphisa bowed his own head respectfully, "Honored Master of Inquisition Salaxorius, it is a pleasure to see you in good health, Sir."
Salaxorius switched his face to orange and white, sending Emphisa a sneering smile, "And I see that the reports are accurate."
Emphisa frowned, "Reports, Master of Inquisition?"
"Workplace accident, Emphisa? I would've expected the Chief of the Aphos wing to exercise more… accuracy… in his service to the Empire. It does not suit the function, would you not agree?" With just that sentence, Salaxorius conveyed exactly the right amount of glee, despise and superior arrogance.
"Ah yes," Emphisa could not entirely stave off the grimace as he remembered the event where the Decepticon had transformed around his limb in an act of utmost malice, "There was a glitch in the locking mechanism of a holding pen. But we made all efforts -and appropriate sacrifices- to ensure there was no containment /breach/; I am confident that you can relate to decisions and sacrifices made in protection against unauthorized beings running rampant in the facility, Master Inquisitor."
Salaxarius narrowed his eyes questioning, "And what do you imply?"
"This outbreak, of course. It originates from the Halls of Justice, does it not?"
"Ah, why yes. But make no mistake, scientist; this outbreak is carefully orchestrated by the Court." Salaxorius replied neatly.
The miniscule twitch that went through the five-headed Quint was caught by Emphisa's keen eyes. He observed the readouts of electro-voltaic pulses in microscopic particles for a living; you aren't going to get much keener than that. The twitch meant a victorious dent in the armor of the five-headed Quintesson, brought on by the one with only one head.
It was a rare and extremely satisfying dent.
Both Quintessons received few glances from around the room as they lifted their heads slightly to regard one another more carefully. Any outsider could view them and see two Quintessons engaging in polite conversation. Any Quintesson would recognize the stand-off. Of course, this stand-off was already decided: The Chief of Science from the Aphos wing could not win it from the Master of Inquisition. It would be folly to agitate the notorious five-headed Quintesson. Emphisa's rank did not protect him from any kind of well-placed evidence that might incriminate him should he draw enough ire to result in his erasure.
But that didn't mean that Emphisa was going to accept his predestined defeat without a fight. He was known as one of the few who dared to banter with the Quintessons from Justice. Salaxorius knew this as well. There was surely no coincidence in their meeting.
Salaxorius continued coolly, "And it should not be surprising to you, scientist, that this lockdown is necessary in the first place. My presence here should've been indicative enough that this strategy was planned to occur during my daily break." There was a hint of annoyance there; clearly this was not Salaxorius's party.
"Ah, you are not leading this arrest, Sir?" Emphisa capitalized on the implication before smoothly melting his verbal attack into a compliment, "I understand: such an escape attempt is so futile that your involvement with its interception would be a horrible waste of your time and cunning; It is child's play, is it not?"
Salaxorius almost looked ready to hiss at him, but the compliment would make such a reaction weird. "… Quite right, scientist. You understand the workings of the Law and those who enforce it, I see."
"Why of course I do, Respected Master of Inquisition. The Law is the most important aspect of our Empire. We all devote ourselves to the enforcement of Justice in our daily actions, even if we aren't all so lucky to service at the Halls of Justice" Without missing a beat, Emphisa turned the derogatory comment also into a compliment. He can pat anyone's back when needed, especially his own. Don't worry about that, you five-faced zealot.
It was clear that Salaxorius did not expect his comment to have been deflected with such ease. His features turned stern. "And at that, we can see that not all Quintessons are created equal." He surmises.
"-But all are valuable and loved by the Empire." Emphisa added, making sure to not speak with utter glee.
Salaxorius again showed a miniscule twitch. Emphisa decided to refrain from tacking on the principles of USVIDA and the importance of standing United with your brethren. That would be too much.
Or would... No. No. It would be too bold to remind /Salaxorius/ of any principle. It would be 'get your head separated from your body' bold. Not quite amusing.
Suddenly, the video screen flashed and announced that the lockdown had been lifted. The room slowly began to empty out as Quintessons levitated and walked off to return to their workplaces. They paid no heed to the Inquisitor and Scientist that were still locked in their confrontation. Both barely noticed their environment, watching the other carefully for cracks in their mental armor.
But Emphisa had already lost before this even started, right? He slowly, carefully, lowered the tilt of his head back to a regular angle. It was time to stop pushing; if he kept this up he would be too caught up in this game and end up making one comment too much. In their society, all one needed was make one comment too much to disappear forever.
"Most Revered Master of Inquisition, it occurs to me that I must've been intruding in your valuable time for far too long. Such has not been my intention, I beg your forgiveness. Permission to remove myself from your space?"
Salaxorius's eyes blazed for a moment in anger before arrogance took over. Emphisa had hit that precious spot of ego just right. The Quintesson switched to silver and blue, stern eyes watching him, "Well, at least that dawns on you, Scientist. Permission granted; you have been wasting my time for far too long."
"Then I shall not keep you. Have a good day, Master Inquisitor." Emphisa bowed his head again and hovered towards the exit.
It had been Salaxorius who had approached him in search of someone's self-esteem to crush, but no-one ever challenged those kinds of semantics.
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End of story: Tales of Quintessa: Between Science and Justice.
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