Honor and Revenge
Prologue
A cold trickle of sweat beaded on Tails' forehead and rolled down his right cheek. It fell lazily to the cold steel floor of the hearing room. His blue eyes were clouded over and he gazed at the royal tribune in front of him impatiently. His head swiveled left and right, looking in to the eyes of each freedom fighter on the board: Antoine, Sally, Sonic, Bunnie, and Rotor. Sally picked up the oak gavel and pounded it on the bench. The humdrum drone of noise that had been coming from the spectators dried up immediately. Sally cleared her throat.
"For the purpose of the public record, let the facts that this panel has determined in this case be stated once more before sentencing. Miles "Tails" Prowler, do you wish to add any comments to the record before we proceed?"
Tails' bangs fell into his heavily-lidded eyes as he shook his head no. Sally shuffled some papers and began to speak again.
"Very well. Let the record show that, on the date of April 17, 4968, Miles Prowler was the commanding officer aboard the cryosleep freighter "Nostromo". Let the record also show that, for reasons undetermined by the panel, Captain Prowler purged the cargo of the Nostromo on that date during a simple docking procedure with the Mobotropolis Space Elevator. Eleven people were killed and three bioandroids were negated. As the Captain had refused to make a statement before this panel to justify his actions, we are forced to pass his sentence without it." Sally looked at Tails impassively, but Tails could see how deeply this was truly disturbing her. She smiled sadly at him. He was still her nephew after all.
"Tails, are you sure you don't want to make a statement in your defense?" She seemed to be begging him. He licked his lips and cleared his throat.
"There is no explanation I can give to justify what I did."
"Tails," Rotor spoke up. He sighed, rubbed his chin and continued to speak. "The onboard flight computer recorded you overriding the safety protocols."
"Like I said," Tails said impatiently while shaking his head. "There is nothing I can say." He surveyed the panel again. Sonic was clutching his portion of the desk tightly with his gloves. 'This may be the hardest thing any of them have ever done, and they can't even understand why they do it…' Tails thought sadly.
A slight murmur went through the audience at the end of the exchange, and Tails saw Antoine shake his head sadly. Bunnie's eyes glassed over with tears.
Sally had to close her eyes to keep from crying. When she opened them again, she was fully composed.
"Miles Prowler, you are hereby condemned by law to a life sentence with no chance of parole to be served in the Mobian Core Mining Correctional Facility." The gavel pound sounded like a gunshot to Tails.
"The Core Mines? You should have given me the death sentence…" A bailiff came up and chained Tails' arms and legs together. He was led out of the courtroom.
Behind him, Sonic began to weep quietly, and Bunnie burst into a storm of tears.
-=-=-=--=-=-=-=
Tails was shoved roughly out of the tiny prison transport ship. It was raining, and he landed in a cold puddle of mud and water. Grit got into his teeth, nasty taste filling his mouth. A guard came up to Tails and kicked him in the ribs.
"Get up you piece of maggotshit!" The guard, an older red and white fox, pulled his gun and smacked Tails in the side of his face. A piece of his snout ripped open, and blood began to pour from the wound. Disoriented and cold, Tails stood up slowly and looked at the guard. The transport took off again and a moment later you could hear the sonic boom as it accelerated to Mach 2.
"Welcome to Elevator 1." The guard said to Tails in anything but a welcoming tone. "In a few minutes, you'll be taken down to the living quarters of the mine, where you will spend the rest of you natural life. This will be your last look at the sky, so enjoy." The guard drug Tails into the only building in sight, a little concrete bunker. On his right was a five-car parking lot, and behind him was a landing pad, where his transport had come in at. Once inside the building he was placed in front of another guard who fingerprinted him and asked him a series of questions.
"Any allergies?"
"No."
"Any past bone breaks?"
"Right leg."
"How?"
"Rough landing."
"Have you ever had a heat stroke?
"No, but it sounds like fun."
Tails received a billy club to his right leg. He fell to his knees, crying out in pain.
The guard behind the desk asked Tails a few more questions, which Tails answered in a dull tone. After they were done, Tails was given a prisoner number and pulled into another room, the shower room. Tails cleaned the Mud out of his fur, shivering at the freezing temperature of the water. When he was finished, the guard gave him a white pair of prison work clothing. His number was on the back.
Leading Tails to the elevator, the guard filled Tails in on what was happening to him.
"Miles Prowler," The guard read from a piece of paper. "You have just been assigned the Prison Work number 836294. Your cell has the same number, and you will be issued two more uniforms once you're below. The Mobian Core Mining Correctional Facility consists of 23 levels, one surface level, twenty sub levels ten feet apart from each other, and two mines. The lower you go, the hotter it gets. Be good, and you will mine Gold Ore in the first mine. If you become unstable and delinquent, you will be sent to the second mining level mining Magnesium and Iron. The temperature in the first mine stays around 115, but the temperature in the second mine can reach 145 (Fahrenheit). Core Mine Warden, Geoffrey St, John."
The elevator doors slide open and the guard tosses Tails in like a rag doll. Tails hit his head on the far wall, knocking him out cold.
The guard snickered as the doors closed. "Welcome to Hell's Gate."
The elevator began its decent downward, and the guard walked away, waiting to greet the next prisoner.
Part One
Seven Years Later
Tails opened his eyes and began to scan the ceiling. Shutting his eyes and rolling onto his side, he huffed lightly and tried to go back to sleep. He got precious little as it was, and he didn't even know what had awoken him.
He began to let his mind drift through thoughts of an earlier, happier time. He had an apartment overlooking the Great Ocean on the southern side of Mobotropolis for those rare occasions when he was planetside. Amy had her lab at the Alexis Moon Base keeping her busy. Since they were both career oriented people, they had an open relationship when they were together. And of course there was the Nostromo…
He opened his eyes again and turned to look at the watch that was laid on the floor beside the bed. It was just after 0300.
'That explains why I woke up. Old habits die hard. I'd be waking up to check on third watch right about now.' Tails sighed and closed his eyes, the sweat dripping down his cheek. He could still remember the first time he had seen her.
He had taken the space elevator from the 3rd pylon at the Northern Desert base all the way up to the outer ring at 350 miles. It was the first time he had taken it all the way to the docks. As the train emerged into the final station, he saw the Nostromo attached to dock 6. An F-Type chassis, it held four modular cargo containers on each of the four long sides to the ship. Crew and passenger arrangements in the middle down the long axis of the ship. Three-mobian command and control center with an ops station and science station, interactive AI navigation and telemetry, chemical-ion engines and a MacPherson Trijector subspace drive. He stared beyond the unbreakable diamond glass that made the command center at the front of the ship, and locked his eyes on the first seat. He had trained for 5 years for this opportunity; the first deep space cargo vessel designed to resupply the extra solar settlers and bring people between the colonies. A small grin appeared on his face. The ship was his.
"Lights on!"
Tails woke with a start, sitting up automatically. He quickly got dressed and was putting his flipflops on when the cell door slid open. He stepped out and took his place at the front of the cell while the guards made their morning count of the 5 story 10 tiered block of the prison. He had heard that there were ten or so blocks underground holding 500 prisoners each, but no one knew. They were kept separate always.
'They probably even run us on different times.' Tails blithely thought to himself as the guards began calling out the count.
"Tier three clear!"
"Tier one clear!"
"Tier seven clear!"
"Mobian missing on tier five, cell 252!"
Tails and the other prisoners looked down to the fifth tier at the empty walk in front of cell 252. Guards closed in on the cell from the left and right. They slowed down when they got one cell away, and when they were reaching the cell the prisoner-a graying rabbit in his early 40s-charged as fast as he could out of his cell towards the railing. The guards lunged for him, but he jumped and easily cleared both the guards and the railing. Tails watched as the rabbit fell, and landed five stories down on his back. Tails closed his eyes as the sound of the mobian hitting the concrete filled the air and prisoners began to jeer loudly.
Minutes later in the mess hall, prisoners ate before beginning their assigned duty of the day. Tails got his tray and went to sit at a table. He didn't associate much with other prisoners, but Level was ok. More than ok, Level was the only person he'd met during his time that was completely honest about his crime. In Sito, the country he'd been from before moving to the United Mobian Confederacy, the law was in the hands of the people more than any country on Mobius. Level came to the UMC to work as an armed courier. He was attacked, defended himself, and accidentally killed two people in the crossfire. The bullets linked to his gun, he was sentenced to life, just like Tails.
"You know, that was the third one in a week or so." Level commented as Tails sat down. "Pretty soon their gunna install fences."
Tails took a drink of his water ration. "The guy this morning hadn't even been here a year."
"Some people have nothing to live for."
"And we do?"
Level raised his eyes as Tails. "You've only been here seven years. Have you lost all hope?"
"…perhaps."
Level did nothing but eat and watch Tails do the same. Finally he picked up a dirty worn newspaper from a week prior. "Say, didn't you have a thing with some scientist?"
Tails nodded. "Yeah, a molecular biologist named Dr. Amy Roozu."
"She still come and sees you every year?"
"Yeah every time they let us have visitors."
"She tell you she's getting married?"
Tails paused, his spoon partway to his mouth.
Level continued. "Yeah, I just got this paper today. About a month from now, she's getting hitched to…" He turned the newsprint in his hand for Tails to see the picture, "Lieutenant Raine Naveed. Of the Mobian Council Security Forces."
The spoon bent in his hand. Tails green eyes frosted over quickly and Level leaned back slightly. "I take it you know him."
You don't have any evidence on your side, physical or otherwise. And once you've gone away for your crimes, Amy will be mine.
"We are familiar. We were in the middle of a pissing contest when I lost my command." Level looked eerily at Tails. He didn't like the look on his friends face, but before he could question him further the horn sounded in the mess hall.
"Clean up you maggots, it's time to earn your keep."
Tails left his tray where it sat and headed out the doors towards the equipment room. Today, he drew the magnesium mine.
-=-=-=--=-=-=-=
Lightly sipping a cup of herb tea, Prime Minister Sally Acorn looked out over the city that was the heart of the UMC, New Mobotropolis. At the 100 level of the 1st pylon space elevator, sat the office of the Prime Minister. In separate adjoining buildings sat the senate chambers and the Mobian Council. The sun was beginning to lower in the sky, and her city was beginning to light up. Sitting down again to her computer, she pulled up the project she had been working on for the past 2 years. She was trying to pass a bill that would place more restrictive measures and security restrictions on companies providing hardware under contract, and the full disclosure of the designs of sensitive equipment such as subspace lasers or the navigation systems.
The problem with passing any bill was just the matter of keeping leeches off of it and making sure the bill, once it becomes a law, is enforced correctly. 'Its taken this long, but I can see the finish line. There have been too many rumors floating around about pirate groups with military equipment. Finally we can stop this illegal trading in our territories.'
Sally saved her final address to the senate before the vote on the issue, and forwarded a copy to her assistant for proofread. Shutting off her terminal, she stood to grab her jacked before meeting Sonic for dinner. Silently, she was shot through the back. As she fell to the ground, she heard the windows explode from the impact of the bullet. Then there was nothing but darkness.
Sonic knocked on Sally's office door. She was supposed to be finishing up any minute. He heard nothing on the other side of the door but the wind. Sally seemed to…
…wait, the wind?!
Sonic kicked the door open and ran into the office. The computer was destroyed and the windows were shattered on the left and right sides. He circled the desk and stopped cold.
"Oh, god, SALLY!" He pulled his phone out of his pocket and his the hot key.
"Emergency Services."
"This is Senator Sonic Acorn. The Prime Minister has been shot in her office."
"We're dispatching trauma medics to your location now sir. You're phone's beacon has been activated and agents are on the way."
Sonic shut his phone which started to blink red and vibrate. He bent down to try and stop the bleeding. "Oh, Sally…"
-=-=-=--=-=-=-=
Tails was having a bad day. First of all, it was hotter than Hades in the mine, the deepest one on Mobius. Small nits of unprocessed mineral kept kicking back from the defective mining saw, and all the sweat on his fur made them react, burning him. That was alright though. After lunch the foreman had given him a different saw. It was almost the end of the shift, and Tails had just reached his quota. Now this fuckin' guy…
Tails was taken to the ground by a right hook from Timo. Timo was the head of the syndicate, the brotherhood that attracted the real, real bad prisoners. And in a life slam like the core prison, it was a bad, bad deal.
Tails stood up. He was usually left alone by the syndicate because they knew he was ex-military, but today Timo had come up short on his quota. Tails wasn't, and he was the only non-syndicate member in this mine crew. He wanted his saw. If you made quota, you got special privileges, like commissary. Timo sawed away at the mine the least, but he made quota about once every two shifts.
"Come on kovota, just trade saws with me and we won't have to hurt you." Tails sat his saw in the corner behind him and readied himself into a defensive posture.
"Anything you want from me you will have to take."
Timo's henchmen both lunged for Tail at the same time. Tails jumped up on the wall right by him and kicked off again. Landing behind the henchmen, he grabbed them both by the heads and slammed them into the stone wall of the mine. Turning, Timo caught him in the ribs with a kick. Tails stepped into the kick as his leg fell away and carried through with a uppercut. Timo was knocked back into the wall and didn't get back up. Tails turned and picked up the saw, and walked towards the elevator.
"I've got to get the fuck out of here. Tonight I'm going to write Sally and ask her to come see me. I've had about enough of this"
-=-=-=--=-=-=-=
Two weeks later, Tails was lying on the cot in his cell reading The Rise and Fall of Ivo Robotnik for what seemed like the 100th time when his cell door sprung open. Two guards walked in and ordered Tails to his feet.
"Warden wants to have a chat with you."
A strange feeling filled Tails, a mixture of disbelieve and nervousness. In all the time he's been here, St. John has never wanted to speak with him, even when he was disciplined. They had simply never interacted since he had been locked up.
He sighed worriedly and shuffled along when they pulled at him.
They walked to the center of the cell block and ordered the lift. Getting in, they went to the top of the underground complex, still underground, to the administrative offices of the prison. They walked through the twisting hallways until they reached an unmarked black steel door. They pounded twice, and Tails heard a lock disengage and the door swing open.
"Prisoner, enter."
Tails didn't hesitate, walking into the office. It surprised him when the guards didn't follow him in, instead shutting the door behind him.
Geoffrey was sitting behind a simple steel desk at the rear of the medium room. A small computer terminal sat on one side, and a handgun sat on the other, easily in reach of St. John's right hand.
"Hullo, Tails. Sit."
Tails knew that it was a command, not an invitation, but he didn't say anything. He simply sat down and waited. Geoffrey sat icily still, staring Tails in the eyes. Finally he spoke.
"Did you have anything to do with it?"
Tails thought carefully for anything he might have actually done and quickly decided that no, nothing could bring on a reaction like this.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, but no, I haven't done anything."
"I wouldn't really say that. You're here, aren't you?"
"Hmmm. About that."
Geoffrey brought a slight grin to his face.
"In any case, you are neither who I am looking for nor do you know what I know."
"What would that be?"
St. John looked like he wanted to say something, but he kept it to himself. Instead he began, "Sonic is coming to see you tomorrow. You might want to get some sleep."
"Why is he coming to see me? Why did you ask to see me?"
"I should let him tell you. You were always closer."
Before Tails could ask anymore questions, Geof snapped his fingers and the door opened, the two guards coming back in to reclaim Tails. As they were taking him out, Geof walked up behind them.
"Be it as it may…I'm sorry"
Geoffrey shut the door behind them.
-=-=-=--=-=-=-=
All that night, Tails listlessly rolled in his bed, pondering St. John's words.
Nor do you know what I know…I'm sorry.
When sleep was finally with him, it was anything but peaceful.
-=-=-=--=-=-=-=
Walking along the docking arm to the airlock of the Nostromo, Tails felt ambivalent. He was still unsure if all the skills he had learned since the end of the Great War would pay off. All the training, all the hardship. He wanted this opportunity more than anything in the world, but he was unsure if he deserved it.
The inner door opening, his crew greeted him. First officer Eliot McDerma and Docking Pilot Les Devoe.
"Welcome aboard Captain." He shook hands with his First Officer and then with his DP. She also shook his hand.
"I've heard you terrorized the simulator programmers at the Academy. I've been looking forward to working with you."
"Thank you both. Has fleet operations assigned an Ops and Science officer yet?"
"Yes, but they won't be joining us for the shakedown. We'll be picking them up on our first stop at Nisim III."
"Very good. Let me drop my duffle in my cabin and we'll meet on the bridge. Engine power up and undocking in fifteen minutes!"
"Yes sir!" They both chorused as he turned to go the other way down the small hallway towards the living quarters.
He dropped his duffle on the bed and walked over to the computer console by the door. He sat down and placed his paw on the scanner.
"Identify."
"Captain Miles Prowler."
"Welcome aboard Captain. You are now checked in to the ship. Engine startup is now authorized."
"Thank you. Transfer control to the bridge."
Tails walked out the door and back towards the bridge. He climbed the ladder at the end of the hall to the bridge compartment. He climbed up the ladder and saw that his crew was already in place. He quickly took his place at the pilot seat and logged into the command terminal.
"Ready to activate flight systems. Give me status and activate. Instrumentation and Navigation?"
"Check, active."
"Telemetry and Flight Recording."
"Check, active."
"Life Support and Medical."
"Check, active. Medical is locked down pending flight surgeon."
"Bring the other three newton reactors into service."
"Reactors activating…and online. Auto power management has all three reactors at 5% output."
"Arm the engine magnets. Prepare to separate from the elevator."
"Aye, engines coming to charge…Magnets currently at 3 Terraferres. Predicting a spike to 9.3 for ignition and a steady thrust at 4.7 TF."
"Captain, dock operations has issued us authorization and we are now separating from the dock."
Tails watched as the Docking Pilot steered the large ship out of the dock, backing out and pitching 90 to be lateral to the dock.
"Captain, we are free and clear to navigate."
"Aye, setting a course for WAKE UP!"
Tails curled into himself and moaned as the kick to the ribs registered. He opened his mouth to scream, but a pillow had been placed over his face.
He screamed anyway.
Timo kneeled down by his face. "I bet you think you are hot shit because of what you did in the mine the other day." He smacked him in the face a little and spit on him. "I just wanted you to know, that you ain't nothing…not a goddamn thing in here. So the next time I ask you for your anything at all, you're gonna give it to me without question. Even if you was in the service. But you can't keep your cell shut to me at night. And I promise you, there won't be enough of you left for the warden to identify."
A swift punch knocked Tails out cold, and he stayed that way until morning.
-=-=-=--=-=-=-=
Tails sat in the silence of the holding room, looking at his reflection on the glass partition in the room. His snout was tender and cut, a egg above his left eye. He breathed slowly and winced. Although not broken, his ribs were still tender.
'This is serious now. I'm in deep trouble. Obviously something happened to Sally.' His face became somber. 'What's going to happen to Amy? What's going to happen to me?"
The door opened, and Sonic walked in. He was a lighter shade of blue then Tails remembered. 'He looks tired…' Sonic walked over to the glass partition and sat down. He picked up the phone and signaled Tails to pick up the other one.
"Hello Sonic."
"It's been too long my old friend."
Tails winced at that. "Even now, you'd still call me that?"
"You were my protégé. I've never lost the faith. But I am starting to lose hope."
"Sonic…" Tails choked himself on his words for a moment. "Sonic, is Sally alright?"
"Tails, Sally is dead."
-=-=-=--=-=-=-=
Timo sat in the back of the mess hall, looking for Tails. His lunch sat in front of him untouched. He wasn't hungry for that kind of meal. He was bloodthirsty.
Andre, one of his competes came up to him. "He's in the visiting block."
Time slowed and Timo shut his eyes as his blood boiled over. "Go get the rest. We're not waiting. I'm taking the bait and walking out of here. Then I'm going to kill the bastard who dares to disrespect me!" Opening his eyes, he looked over at a guard near the west wall. The mobian looked in Timo's direction, and nodded at him. Timo pulled out a knife and threw it the other direction towards the other guard. It entered-then exited-his throat. The mess hall broke into a riot. Amidst all the chaos, Timo and three others walked out the west end entrance, avoiding the guards entering the other side and being careful to lock the door behind them. The door sensor instantly kicked back into operation.
-=-=-=--=-=-=-=
Tails sat limply for the first few seconds. His breathing slowed down and he shut his eyes as a wave of nausea splashed over him. "When?"
"She died in the hospital three days ago without waking up. S-she…" Sonic buried his head in his hands. He struggled to regain his composure, then looked up and continued. "She was shot in her office about two weeks ago. No clue why this happened now. Because of security precautions, the Senate is closed for now, and the Mobian Council is the ruling authority. For the first time in years I have nothing to do but wait."
Tails chuckled darkly. "I remember how well that used to go over."
Sonic grinned. "I seem to remember a certain young fox who used to nip my heels whenever I just had to run off."
"You were always looking to make sure I was still right there."
"…maybe I still am. Tails, you've never said one word, one word, about what happened aboard the Nostromo that night. We were forced by Mobian law to sentence you without a defense." Tails sat back in his seat and sighed. "It broke everyone. Bunnie retired later that year to go back to the Great Forest saying 'this place has made a liar out of us y'all'. Sally and I didn't know what to do. There was nothing we could do. So we got married and went on with our lives. Now she's gone. And I really am alone."
Tails sat quietly, watching Sonic recline back into the metal chair in which he sat. He seemed to age in front of Tails, and it suddenly hit him hard just how old Sonic was starting to look.
"Sonic," Tails began quietly. Sonic looked up at him. "I was never able to explain what happened because I really don't know. I was always afraid that no one would believe me." He spit at the ground. "I'm not even sure I believe myself anymore."
"Tails…"
"I wasn't even in the command center at the time. No one was. We were supposed to use Mobius as a gravity brake and head to the moon for a refit. I was asleep. The next thing I know McDerma and Devoe are dragging me out of bed and placing me under arrest. I asked the charge. The moment they said Sedition…I felt the ship leave me. Do you know what that feels like? Let me tell you. I was still aboard, but the ship wasn't in me anymore. She wasn't mine. I'd lost her. After we finally killed Robotnik, I spent most of my adult life dedicated to exploration and training. That's why when the Deep Space Service was formed I joined right away. I knew, I knew, that was my destiny. To have my own ship."
Tails went silent and stared into the glass reflection. "The moment it was taken from me…well, nothing else mattered. At least not until I found out that I had given the order to dump those containers, killing those people. Well, according to the flight recorder. I swear to God, Sonic. I didn't hurt anyone."
Sonic opened a manila folder that laid in front of him. He pulled out a picture of a older gorilla with wire rimmed glasses and a slight lazy eye, and placed it against the window. "Do you know who this is?"
"I've never seen…" Suddenly he trailed off. He did recognize the Mobian. "Yes. That's one of the passengers killed. He was coming back from Nuvin IV"
Sonic shook his head. "Yeah, that is correct, but that isn't what's important. Sally told me where to find this folder, and told me to go see you. That I'd understand."
"That you'd understand what?"
"This is Dr. Ian Kyle. He was a fellow at the Rimmins Artificial Intelligence Institute. The same institute that designed the computer used in your ship. And on the day he died, seventeen other AI scientists around the world died, all in different ways."
"What are you trying to say?"
"I think you were framed. I have no idea why. I also think we are all in big, big trouble."
End of Part One
AN: This is the first thing I've done in a while, and since I know my fingers been off the pulse, please review and let me know if I still got it. Thanks!