Yes, my friends, I have lost my mind. I am creating a Sonic story based on chao. For some of us, this is the only reason we've played SADX, SADX(Director's Cut), Pinball Party, or SA2B. They've even cameos in Mario & Sonic at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games (A b-day present that made my year). I am sure that even the darkest of hearts can be brightened up by these little pudgy dudes...

Bear with me, though; this starts with a snippet of a court case.

"COURT CASE #24656:
ARI TORTOISE vs. SULLIVAN RODRIGUEZ-BLUE
CHARGES: Burglary; Vandalism; Assault/Battery
PROSECUTOR: ANTOINE D'COOLETTE
LAWYER: LAURA LARK
JUDGE(S): HIP KANGAROO & HOP KANGAROO
COURT REPORTER: CAROL LOPINI

DAY 15-AUGUST 19TH, 3236 P.X.E.
13:50 NMST

"SYNOPSIS: Today concludes the testimonies of the witnesses. With it, the resolve of the plaintiff Acorn dwindles. None of the five guards we questioned had a similar story, even though they supposedly matched up when questioned earlier in the week. We have yet to question the defendant Rodriguez, who has remained compliant and had minimal objections.
The last to take the stand is Alonso Weaver, a chief security guard in the city.

"D'COOLETTE: Chief Weaver, you were on guard the night of Miss Rodriguez's infiltration of the city, correct?
WEAVER: Yes, my shift was to end five minutes after.
D'COOLETTE: Did you see anything strange at the time she was revealed to be inside?
WEAVER: 'Revealed'. Ha! I'm the one who told the other guards she was inside.
D'COOLETTE: Really? You had said before that she was inside in the blink of an eye.
WEAVER: Yes. She forced her way passed me.
D'COOETTE: How is that? Did she threaten you?
WEAVER: No. She arrived at the gates at about 9:50pm and begged me to let her into the city. I had to refuse her entry.
D'COOLETTE: But you've let citizens in and out of the city before.
WEAVER: For one, she wore a Grandmaster's uniform from the Egg Empire. Also, she was carrying a large capsule filled with black liquid. I asked her what was in it, but she wouldn't say. I could only assume she was working for Robotnik.
D'COOLETTE: I ask that the Court Reporter mark the capsule as evidence.
WEAVER: When I refused her access, she shoved me out of the way and ran inside. (pause) She even thanked me for being so, as she said, 'pushable'. Even so, I put out an order to look out for her.

"Rodriguez groans and shakes her head.

"D'COOLETTE: Did you see where she was headed, by chance?
WEAVER: (pause) The closest location I could see was the Coliseum, where Mina Mongoose performed that night. But there was no sign of Rodriguez anywhere near the area.
D'COOLETTE: I do recall, however, that you reported a call from the Science Center at about 11:30 pm.
WEAVER: Yes, security called and told me that the Egg Grapes we had found a decade ago was missing, along with a machine called the 'Chao Walker'.
D'COOLETTE: And what became of these machines?
WEAVER: They were found in Julayla Memorial Garden around midnight.
D'COOLETTE: You saw the machines?
WEAVER: Not at first; another guard called to say they were found. The next guard had not shown up yet, so I sent two men to investigate. When they reported in and the next guard finally arrived, I investigated myself. A troop was already there.
D'COOLETTE: At what time to you investigate arriving?
WEAVER: 12:30 on the dot, sir.
D'COOLETTE: And Rodriguez was there when you arrived as well.
WEAVER: Yes.
D'COOLETTE: A separate troop sent at 12:23am found two unconscious guards. According to the shift manager, they were the guards you sent to investigate. Do you have any clue as to how they came to be unconscious?
WEAVER: No, sir. I do not.
D'COOLETTE: What did you see when you arrived?
WEAVER: The two guards I sent lay unconscious on the ground, face down. And she-
D'COOLETTE: Mark that Chief Weaver points at Miss Rodriguez.
WEAVER: She sat with her arms and legs wrapped around the apparatus.
D'COOLETTE: (pause) My apologies, Chief. You say 'the apparatus'. Do you refer to the old Egg Grapes or the Chao Walker?
WEAVER: Both. They were hooked up to one another, along with an empty capsule similar to the one she carried. If you care to look, it should still be the way we found it.
D'COOLETTE: I see. I would ask that the machine be acquired and marked for evidence. Other than that, I have no further questions at the moment.

As soon as the final guard completed his account, Jenn-Fa of Albion, stood up in her seat in the audience.

"JENN-FA: This is a setup. How can you not see that? My child has no use for those things.
HOP: Please, miss, I ask that you take your seat.
JENN-FA: Not when there is corruption in their stories. You are accusing her of theft.
D'COOLETTE: We simply care to know the situation. We do not know why she was there, nor if and how the theft of the machines are connected. It is the Court's decision to rule her guilty or non.
JENN-FA: And what of St. John? You seemed to be biased in your ruling then. What's to say you are not biased now?
HOP: Miss Jenn-Fa if you do not restrain yourself, we will have to arrest you in contempt of court.
HIP: This is an official preceding and we will not have any disparagement.

Jenn-Fa sits again.

HOP: Now, Ms. Lark, would you care to question the witness?
LARK: Yes, sir. Now, Chief Weaver, the guards you sent were found unconscious, as Mr. D'Coolette says. You have no leads as to how they got that way?
WEAVER: Correct.
LARK: Do you recall when you received the call that your men found the machines?
WEAVER: Yes, I recall saying I received the call around midnight.
LARK: And you received no messages prior to your arrival. No attempts to call or sounds of struggle.
WEAVER: No, not from them.
LARK: But a call from someone.
WEAVER: Yes. There was something sent over our frequency. It was scrambled, but it sounded like a woman's voice.
LARK: At what time did this message air?
WEAVER: About 12:15am.
LARK: I ask permission of the Court to play back a recording from that night.
HOP: Approved. Bailiff Bull, if you will.

"Bailiff Bill inserts a disc labeled '8/2/3236' into the CD player. Immediately, the transmissions play.

"VOICE 1: ...Am to Officer Weaver. Graham to Weaver-do you read?
WEAVER: Copy, Graham. Report?
GRAHAM: We've found the suspect in Julayla Memorial Garden. The machines are here as well.
WEAVER: Good to hear. Bring her-
(bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzt! krkt! bzzt!)
 GRAHAM: Sweet, merciful Aurora!
WEAVER: What's the mat-?
GRAHAM: S-stand-d down, m-m-ma'am. You a-you're under arrest. W-we ask that you comply.
RODRIGUEZ: Just...(bzz-ZZT!) just a moment, officers. I'm almost done here.
VOICE 2: Please step away from the machines...We're going to need back-up at Julayla Memorial Park. Copy?
VOICE 3: Copy.
VOICE 2: This is a strict violation of local codes, ma'am.
RODRIGUEZ: Trust me, officers, this is in good faith. And it has been sanctioned.
GRAHAM: Stand down, ma'am!
(bzzt! ding-bzz-zzt!)
VOICE 4: Cha-!
GRAHAM: What in the world just...?
(thud)
RODRIGUEZ: Heh-heh. Oops...officers?
VOICE 2: Uhhn...
RODRIGUEZ: Officer. Ah, come on!
WEAVER: Graham, do you copy? Officers?
(dead air)

"Silence falls. Rodriguez is hiding her face in her hands.

"LARK: Ah...may we please fast-forward to the time of the jumbled call?

"The disc is sped up until sounds resume, then rewound to 14:13 on the timer.

"WOMAN: Why(sqqqwk)life (sqwksqwkksqwwwwk) back(sqwwk) lit(skwk) Can't see (swww-www-ww) There (sqwww) revol(sqwksqwk) from egg(Sqqqqqqkkkkkk)

"HIP: Is it possible to unscramble the frequency from the message?
BULL: No, your Honor. Analysts have tried already. This is as clear as it gets.
HOP: Perhaps this is a good opportunity to take a short recess. We will return at 2:30.

"TIME: 14:09 NMST

My Dear King,

I ask that you review this record of the court trial. I do not ask that you correct it. This is as accurate as can be. My request is that you look into the text. You know what you saw and heard in the court room. Now use it.

At first glance, this excerpt paints me as a turncoat and/or a terrorist. Yes, it was true that I was indeed a member of the Eggman Empire. But I beg you to remember that so was Bill the Platypus, who only acted to save his people; and so were the Walruses of the Northern Tundra, and Sir Charles of the Council of Acorn. Even our ambitious arrogated king Ixis Naugus had his good points.

I shall concede to you-yes, I am an enemy of the state by law. And yes, the Egg Grapes were indeed a weapon of war-at a point. However, I only did what I had to do in order to fix a big mess. And in the right hands, the elements I have put together will clean it up in no time.

You, Elias, saw right through Naugus' ruse; you knew that he was behind the attacks on New Mobotropolis. But the citizens only saw good in him; he helped to bring the city to peace after the Iron Dominion's attack. I do not know what the citizens see in me, as I am an established komissar in Soumerca. But you have eyes and ears that perceive things differently.

You have the integrity that I lack. So I beseech you, King Elias. Listen to my plea and tell me: can you see through my eyes?