The Plight of Andross

Roughly twenty-two years ago:

It was closing time at the district #6 branch patent office in Corneria City. A torrential downpour of rain drenched the streets outside, filling the office withan eerie hiss of constant falling water droplets. Inside, the small building's first floor consisted mostly of a modest lobby, and a window separating the lobby from a dense room filled -almost overflowing- with documents. The whole place was run-down, dated, cheap, and probably hasn't seen business for weeks. Behind a grubby receptionist's desk, a young, dark-haired primate sat, reading one of the magazines normally reserved for the customers. The only distinguishing piece of clothing he wore was a dirty sweater with the letters 'CCU' embroidered on the front.

When the office door-chime sounded, the ape lazily greeted the patron as he laid the magazine down.
"I'm sorry, but we're closing for the day~" he stopped dead in his tracks when he looked up and saw who the customer was.
"Professor Al'Sayif? What are you doing here?"

The man who entered the office was an elderly camel dressed in a dark overcoat, drenched from the rain. He spoke with the receptionist after he hung a stiff fedora hat on the coat rack by the door.
"I heard about your situation Enos -everyone has, really- and I'm going to be straight with you: It's not working~"

The young Andross jumped to a conclusion, and began to defend his studies.
"But... but thats not true, Professor! Several Lylatin planets clearly show signs of deteriorating terraformation... and... and the anatomical structure of these human~"

Al'Sayif cut Andross' babbling short with a wave of his hand as he came closer to the desk.
"I do not dispute your theories Enos, I merely dispute the choices you've made in presenting them."

The elder camel picked up the magazine Andross was reading before, the title on the cover read 'Top Quarks' –it was a science publication...
"Every single scientific journal you've presented your claims to has rejected them, and turned you away: micro-biology, astrophysics, nanotechnotolgy, archeology – all of them. I'm afraid your obsession with Voyager and these 'humans' have become something of a laughingstock to the major science institutions."

Andross wasn't going to have that. He snatched the magazine back, stepped out of his desk, and began to pace about the dingy office lobby. As he worked himself up, his gestures became grander and more animated as his pacing quickened.
"They know I'm right about Voyager, Professor Al'Sayif. Those old farts just don't want to admit that a fresh CCU graduate like myself has them all beaten to the punch. Just you wait, when my thesis is published, when everyone can see for themselves that I am right: I'll show them!~"

Andross was caught off-guard by a swift backhand delivered by the elder Al'Sayif, silencing the young, egotistical ape.
"Listen to yourself, Enos! And look at how far your damned blind-ambition has taken you!..." He indicated the shabby excuse of a patent-office around them where they stood. "...nowhere."

The last word was quiet -almost a whisper- but with no less intensity than if he had shouted an avalanche down a mountain. After this outburst, the older camel took a few moments to catch his breath before continuing.
"As my best and brightest student, you deserve so much better than this. From the moment you stepped into my classroom, I knew you were destined for bigger and better things, and you have lived up to those extraordinary expectations right up to your graduation day. Never in my time has any single graduate received so many doctorates, in multiple subject-areas nonetheless. But you have squandered it all with your own self-righteous insolence..."

He let the guilt wash over Andross. The young ape stood in the middle of the office, seemingly much smaller than he was before. The entire office remained devoid of speech, only the constant flow of raindrops onto the front window made any sound. Finally, the aging camel looked Andross in the eye, and made him an offer.
"Now Enos, I must ask you: Do you ever want to be taken seriously as an honorable man of the sciences?"

Andross gave his left cheek a rub where it was still sore.
"More than anything, Professor."

Al'Sayif paced behind the ape's back as he made his case.
"Then you will have to set Voyager aside, swallow your pride, and do some hard work. After all of your floundering, I doubt anyone will give you a decent job... but I may be able to find you a position at the University."

Again, Andross jumped to a conclusion.
"I don't want your charity-jobs, Mashad. I'm not a student anymore, and the idea of working as a peon at CCU doesn't sound any more appealing than my current line of work here."

"That isn't quite what I had in mind..." Mashad Al'Sayif put a hand on the ape's shoulder and led him back to his desk. "You see Enos, one of our instructors was offered a position with the Cerinia Research Institute, and we'd be more than glad to send her on her way so long as someone competent could take her place among the faculty."

The look the camel gave Andross could only mean one thing...
"You want me to teach? But Professor, I'm younger than half the attending students!.."

"I know it's not what you want to do with yourself, but you're more than qualified for the job and -lets face it- you need the money. If you intend to go anywhere with the life you've chosen, then you must establish a solid reputation; and for that Enos, there's no better way than to inspire a new generation of thinkers – your generation."

The young ape sat back down behind his cluttered receptionist's desk, and for the first time in a long while, Enos Andross thought. He has calculated, conjectured and contemplated many times before, but rarely has he stopped and truly given thought.

"When you've made your decision: please, do stop by during my office-hours."
And with that, the elderly camel departed into the pouring rain, leaving Andross sitting behind his desk in the empty building – alone.

-

-

Seven years later:

+++Incoming Call. Accept?+++

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"We've been compromised. There's been... an incident with Sauria."

"How bad is it?"

"Lylat Union Congress is about to launch a massive investigation into your operation. You have to abandon it – cut yourself off from it, now, while you still can."

"All of it?"

"Yes, all of it! Union Congress isn't going to screw-around the way your Cornerian Party-House of a Parliament does! They will send Intelligence in, they will expose you, and you will be indited for war-crimes, racketeering, and a whole mess of other charges~"

"Alright! Alright! I... I need only to purge the files."

"Did you find a fall-guy that'll work?"

"I... well... yes, yes I have... It took a bit of effort, but I believe I may have someone who fits the bill."

"Just give me a name, and I'll work-out the details on my end."

"The name, of course... Dr. Enos Andross..."

"Him? I thought he and you were~"

"You see, not all men of science are so well-respected, Andross especially. I... I seriously doubt anyone will vouch for him if he's caught red-handed. Why, his peers utterly scorn him as it is~"

"Fine, I'll work with it, but you'd better be right about all this."

+++Transmission Terminated.+++

-

-

Somewhere in the halls of Corneria City University, a steady drumbeat of footsteps against the waxed floor was interrupted by a personal comm alert, and then a conversation...
"You caught me just in time Trish, I was just about to arrive at my class. So, what seems to be the matter?..."

Andross had grown a little older in the seven years since he first took this job: his dark, coarse hair was pulled into a rough ponytail, and he was beginning to develop a respectable beard under his chin. The ape wore a casual button-front shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows, and also carried a beaten briefcase with him in one hand.
"...Emma spoke her first word already? Are you sure?..."

Dr. Andross restarted his walk through the CCU hall as he listened with interest over his comm channel.
"...Now dearest, I know you can speak and comprehend Saurian, but that doesn't necessarily mean the baby also knows the language... it's an entirely foreign linguistic system here in Lylat... No, I understand, but what do you think Emma will think when she asks what her first word was, and you tell her it was 'Xreh'? What exactly does that translate to anyway?"

The primate professor's eyebrows must've jumped a few inches when he heard the answer.
"...Really? I think you should seriously consider waiting for the next word, preferably one in standard Cornerian so I can understand what my own daughter is saying to me~"

He stopped outside a classroom door, checked the number to make sure it was the right one, and brought his conversation to a speedy, but affectionate end.

"I'm absolutely heartbroken to leave you now Trishta, but my next batch of students awaits me, and It'd be a terrible example to them if I were tardy. Surely you'd understand... yes, I love you too dearest."

Finished with the brief conversation with his wife, Dr. Andross deactivated his comm, set it in his pocket and took a deep, energizing breath before he opened the door and crossed the threshold.

The classroom was smaller than the grand lecture halls synonymous with the old CCU, but it still had all the premium amenities of other large-scale learning environments. It wasn't a place for hundreds of students; it was a place for a select few who had proven themselves to be a cut-above the rest. For now, the roughly twenty students sat at their desks and waited –some had their notebooks and pencils out, and others were a little worse for wear this early in the morning...

Not that it mattered for an ever-enthusiastic science instructor...
"Good morning, and welcome to the orientation day of this Theoretical Nanophysics course, which means that you lively bunch must be my class for the next semester."

He set his briefcase down on the table at the front of the classroom before continuing on.
"Did you all find the syllabus over the network and read it like I asked you to?"

There was as general -if slightly tired- affirmative murmur amongst the students.
"Good, I've only one thing to say about that syllabus: It means absolutely nothing."

Several of the students exchanged confused glances as Andross paced back and forth at the front of the room, gesturing flamboyantly when he felt it necessary.
"Ladies and gentleman, you are about to take your first steps into into an extremely murky realm of science. It is a place where the conventional laws of physics are bent, broken, and nearly anything can happen. It's not that the laws you've been taught no longer apply per-se, you simply must understand that undermining the laws of Physics, just like breaking any other kind of law, carries risks, consequences, and if you can get away with it: rewards..."

The ape stopped his pacing, and turned to address the entire class, undistracted by his movement...
"Hyperspace-Vector travel, Graviton-Diffusion levitation, and virtually every significant advancement in modern science all started in a classroom not unlike the very one in which you sit now..."

Professor Enos Andross added a pause for effect, then opened his briefcase on the table and retrieved an aluminum beverage can labeled 'Solar Flare' – a popular energy-drink.
"But don't think it'll be easy, not for a moment. Because if you thought the oddities of Quantum Mechanics were a handful: then I'm afraid you haven't seen anything yet."

The statement was punctuated when the briefcase closed with just the right amount of vigor. Still holding the closed beverage in-hand, the ape singled-out one of the students who was beginning to doze off.
"Beltino Toad, is it?"

The drowsy young amphibian didn't even notice Dr. Andross pull his sleeve up a little further, and assume a pitching stance.
"Hm, wha?..."

When the olive green amphibian looked up from his almost-sleep, he nearly jumped out of his seat with shock when he saw the can soaring through the air – straight toward his face. Without time to react to the whirling projectile, this was going to suck for him, hard. But just when the energy-drink should've collided with the toad's cranium, it stopped, and hovered motionless in the air with barely an inch between the can and the shocked student's face.

"Tell me what just happened, Beltino."
The quirky professor held a small remote-controlling device in his hand that he pointed at the floating can.

"I uh... I had a long night Profes~"

"The drink, mister Toad."

The can of 'Solar Flare' was still hovering quite freely in front of him as Beltino stammered out an answer.
"Um... an interruption of the graviton-exchange between the masses?"

"Good guess, but I'm afraid that's not the case this time..."
Professor Andross turned to address the class as a whole.
"What I have just demonstrated is a perfect example of cross-dimensional relativity. If an object cannot maintain its motion through the dimension of Time, then it will appear to cease all of its movements relative to those still at standard-rate motion through Time. The object will however, retain all forces subjected to it before it was impeded in Time. Therefore, this can still has all of it's kinetic-energy intact, and it will continue to travel once I restore its movement through Time. The details and formulas for which you'll all learn later this term..."

Once again, the ape spoke specifically to Beltino: who still starred fixedly at the can of 'Solar Flare' in front of him.

"So mister Toad, unless you would really like to experience first-hand the release of roughly twelve joules of that kinetic-energy into your skull: I suggest you grab the can."

The still-stupefied student took his professor's advice, and reached out to grasp the drink. When Dr. Andross released it back into Time, the toad lurched back slightly as if he had actually caught the can in mid-flight.

"Keep it Beltino, you seem like you could use the caffeine-jolt anyway..."
Dr. Andross picked off a smaller device stuck to the can, the mechanism used to stop the flying can's Time. With both pieces, he turned back to address the rest of the classroom.
"Now, are there any questions?"

A hand shot up in the back, which Enos prompted to speak.
"How are your wife and the baby doing?"

There was one of these kids every class, so he simply took it in stride.
"Well, I can't sleep at night anymore, but how is that any different from my normal life? Otherwise, my lovely wife Trish and darling little Emma are doing just fine, thank you."

He now spoke more to the class as a whole again.
"Contrary to the rumors circulating through campus: sucking-up to me does not actually make me grade you any less harshly, though I do appreciate the effort. Now, are there any other questions about this course, my demonstration, or anything else I can answer?"

From the classroom door came one such question.
"Can I talk to you, Dr. Andross? Outside. "
Considering the uniform and the way his question was more of an order, the great, shaggy dog who spoke was most definitely a sergeant of CCPD.

"But of course officer. You'll have to excuse me class, I'll only be a minute."
Dr. Andross exited the classroom with the same boundless energy he had upon entering. The last words the student's heard their professor speak coherently, were his inquires to the police.

"So tell me, how goes your investigations into my office break-in?..."
The door shut, blocking most sound between the classroom and hallway. The frosted glass window of the door was only able to show gestures –which became more animated and agitated from Andross. The murmuring built, and the frenzy crescendoed until there was finally a hysterical outburst.

"No, no! That simply can not be the case! There must be some mistake!..."
The voice of Dr. Enos Andross slowly died away as he was hauled away from his classroom.

-

-

Nearly fifteen years later:

+++Incoming Call. Accept?+++

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"What is it?"

"I'm sorry to bother you again after so long, but I fear I have no where else to~"

"Will you cut the stupid groveling and get to the point?"

"... I'm afraid our old-boy Andross is getting a bit, well... out-of-hand."

"I thought he was imprisoned, taken care of."

"He still is mind you, but he is also still managing to make a mess of things... You know of the new Titanian prison-colony, yes?"

"I helped pass the legislation for that project in Union Congress. What of it?"

"As you no doubt know, the Cornerian Parliament greeted it with their usual flamboyant, justice-happy gusto, and signed-up dozens upon dozens of our inmates to be transferred cross-system. Unfortunately, it seems Dr. Andross was among them."

"And that's a problem because..."

"...Oh, bother... For some time now, there's been quite a lot of talk among the people to appeal Andross' case –to reopen the old investigations. This whole Titania business is only going to stir-up even more trouble, and very likely open the old wounds~"

"I swear, you and the rest of those Parliamentary delegates run a damned, quixotic, Party-House over there."

"They do love to make a show of their legislature."

"So what do you expect me to do about this?"

"Anything to stop the floodgates; anything at all. It can only end terribly if something isn't done quickly, for both of us."

...there was a pause as the two of them thought...

"I think I have an idea."

"You do?"

"Take the lead on this appeal, and push it through. If the Cornerian citizens are for it like you say, then it shouldn't bee too hard. I'll also need to pay a visit to Mr. Andross himself~"

"What!? You can't possibly be serious! It'll unravel everything!"

"Desperate times call for desperate measures Mr. Oikonny, and if the wave can't be held back, then we must learn to ride it."

"I can't say that I like where this is heading~"

+++Transmission Terminated.+++

-

-

Age was taking its toll on Andross: his dark, tangled hair -hacked short when it became too long- was showing gray at the roots. And the beard now dominated most of his lower face. He sat in jail-cell that had been his home for the past decade and a half. It wasn't a particularly hellish facility; after all, Dr. Andross was merely a scientist, not a deranged, bloodthirsty psychopath. A minimum security, white-collar jail was all he needed. At this facility at least, their inmates were allowed notebooks and pencils –an opportunity Enos took full advantage of. At the bare desk in his cell, he sat dictating page after page of complex equations by hand. The ape knew these calculations by heart, knew full-well that these numbers and symbols represented the very fabric of reality. And with just the proper application of force, this reality could be bent to his will.

It was all Andross could do to pass the time, but today would be different.

"You have a visitor."

The primate didn't bother checking, but he knew for a fact that the speaker was a sharp prison warden; the one who works the afternoon shift. He didn't divert himself from his calculations when his prison door slid open, and he didn't bother looking back when the footsteps came closer –they sounded like expensive shoes...

"You've made quite a few enemies, Mr. Andross; powerful ones too."
...and the speaker sounded like a man with an agenda.

"Be gone, and leave me to my work."

The unwelcome guest simply continued straight onward.
"Do you realize though, that you've also attracted equally influential sympathy?"

Reluctantly, Enos laid down his pencil, and turned in his chair to observe his visitor.
"What is it that you want?"

His guest was a tall, bald eagle man; probably in his mid to late forties, but it can be hard to tell with some of these avian species. He wore a clean-cut deep blue suit and kept his person meticulously clean. If hazarded a guess: one would assume he was a politician.
"Allow me to introduce myself, Mr. Andross. I am Senator Conrad Carrion of Lylat Union Congress, at your service."

Bull's-eye.
"Get on with it."

"Straight to the point, I like that."

Andross simply waited for the senator to speak.

"Many in Congress and across the Lylat system -myself included- feel that you were imprisoned here unfairly and unconstitutionally. I and several others would like to do something about that."

The ape didn't believe him for a second, and stood up to the proud eagle man.
"Do you think me a fool, Conrad? I know why exactly you're here: you would seek to exploit me for your own personal, political purposes. It was your type that landed me here in the first place, and I will have none of it any longer!"

Carrion was almost expecting that reaction, and was well-prepared for it.
"That's a real shame, Mr. Andross. I came here to offer you one last chance for freedom. But since you've optedto decline, I guess you'll just have to rot-out the last of your days in a Titanian maximum-security prison."

"Titania?"

Conrad knew Andross' type well enough, and manipulated the ape's hardheaded attitude to his advantage.
"You haven't heard? Just today, the Cornerian Parliament has approved your transfer to the new Mt. Khali Penitentiary on Titania. I know the place, and It is a deathtrap – whoever is sent there is never coming out. And unless you change your mind about this whole situation, Mr. Andross: it will be your grave..."

The eagle's next words were just shy of a threat.
"So, will you take death? Or will you take freedom?"

Although still very suspicious of his visitor, Andross decided to at least hear him out.
"I'm listening."

the avian politician paced slowly, and deliberately about Andross' jail-cell. And spoke with a similar careful, practiced air.
"Someone is trying to get rid of you Mr. Andross; someone is trying to quietly sweep you under the rug of history. Thus far, they have been successful, but only to a point..."

The ape listened only halfheartedly to Senator Carrion's careful speech.

"Think about it: your trial was rushed, your defense attorney was incompetent, and the 'evidence' was stacked nearly completely against you."

Andross played along with whatever he was planning, and picked out the obvious hint.
"You say the word evidence in such a peculiar manner, Mr. Carrion. I assume there is a reason..."

Conrad got that gleam in his eye that only a politician or a lawyer could get when they know they're right.
"The 'evidence' that was used against you, Mr. Andross, was planted."

The ape only rolled his eyes as he began to work himself up.
"I've already suggested that possibility to the judge and jury before, and as you can plainly see, that turned out great. What the hell would anyone want with me anyway? I am only a simple man of science!"

The eagle allowed Enos a few seconds for his temper to cool, then pressed forward with his agenda.
"You were, and still are, a controversial figure, Mr. Andross. The claims and ambitions you held drove your fellow scientists to hold you in complete disdain~"

Again, Andross quickly jumped to another conclusion, and got ahead of himself.
"You mean to tell me I was framed simply because I made a discovery that upset a few people? You must think me a fool indeed, Senator. Not even the most opinionated, self-righteous, airhead of a scientist would stoop to that level."

"You are correct there Mr. Andross. It was no scientist who had you jailed, but your position made you... a prime target to be blamed for someone else's meddling –a scapegoat. You were in-fact framed, but not by any of your long-gone peers."

The aging ape was at least curious about the keen eagle now.
"I suspected as much. Then do you know by who?"

Carrion did in-fact know, but certain truths must be omitted for his plans to work.
"Our investigations are ongoing, but we know for certain that Intelligence was taken advantage of. Whoever had those documents falsified, planted, and hired those mercenaries, also tipped-off LCI against you. You were used, Mr. Andross. And as I said before, someone is trying to dispose of you, someone with influence. And on Titania, they intend to finish you."

"Well Conrad, what exactly do you have in mind?"

"Even as we speak, arrangements are being made to appeal your case, but I do not believe they will be ready by the time you make the transfer~"

Andross angrily cut the eagle's words off.
"Then you've told me all of this for nothing!"

"Don't be too sure Mr. Andross..."
The avian politician's next words could only imply another course of action.
"Regarding these sensitive transport missions, I am told there is a high risk of, hostile interruptions."

Andross knew exactly what the senator was planning, but he was still unclear on his motives.
"Tell me Mr. Carrion, why exactly are you going through all of this trouble for me? I am after all: only a humble man of science."

Conrad Carrion took his time before answering this question; not because he needed to think about the answer, but because he wanted Andross to think about it.
"Many would like to believe that a government has some kind of control over a population, some kind of influence over its people. In reality, a governing body of the people, by the people and for the people, is ultimately at the mercy of the people. One false move, one slip-up, one broken promise; and you can kiss your career in politics goodbye. The people are the harshest critics and strictest, the most demanding taskmasters. The people want you Mr. Andross, and I am nothing but a voice, and a helping-hand to the people..."

With his business concluded, the eagle made his way to exit the prison cell.
"I hope your journey goes well, Mr. Andross. And remember; this conversation did not happen."