Civilization (I'll Stay Right Here)
By Kachimoochi
Chapter IX
Miserere, Miserere
"Ah Jesus, where in the name of Christ am I supposed to park this thing?" Kaisar complained to himself, trying to maneuver the Futura into the thin space between tenement buildings his master and his new compatriot awaited. He had operated a panel on the dashboard to expand the car's length to accommodate three passengers, for whatever reason.
Kaisar had secluded himself in a sleazy motel on the upper level of Hong Kong; he used an active camouflage as a Chinese man, an uncommon sight nowadays, and checked himself into a room.
When he entered the room, he decided to treat himself to a self-invented software update alongside an oil bath, which he performed by pouring motor oil inside the bathtub in the bathroom. He was 47% through and two joints squeaky before he got a call from his master bidding his immediate presence in an alley in front of the child clinic.
What was stranger was that he instructed Kaisar to modify the Futura to seat a third passenger, a plethora of thoughts raced through Kaisar's memory and logic banks.
"Kaisar…MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! Pick me up at these coordinates, and make room for one more passenger, I'll explain on the way to Civilization" Anaximander yelled in triumph, after breaking up from speaking to another being.
"What the hell is he talking about? Has he taken a hostage? Is he bringing them to Civilization? Can we finally leave this godforsaken planet? What the hell is going on?" He questioned in his head.
As he drove the Futura to the location, Kaisar saw Anaximander flag his down, whilst jumping up and down, and fist-pumping the air. He noticed another figure in a brown hood and cloak sitting on the ground beside him. Though his sensors weren't on alert, he could have sworn he saw a faint purple light come from the brown hood.
"God's sake, I said feed the homeless, not liberate them. It's like he doesn't listen to a single word I say…must be the British accent, he is afraid of Asian accents maybe I'll try that next" Kaisar spoke to himself, noting that the figure must be a homeless man Anaximander felt sorry for.
Kaisar was confused despite this; Anaximander had no affinity for the homeless.
He turned the Future away from them and lowered the car to block the entrance to the alley, and to block anyone's view. A mint condition, piercing turquoise, two-foot-finned luxury vehicle attracted a copious amount of attention in such a poverty-stricken place.
Without paying much attention the Geth disembarked the vehicle, though he did notice something strange. His master no longer had a jovial expression on his face, but rather one of concern and anxiety.
He approached the pair, the hooded of which immediately rose to his feet, and stood silently for a split second. Kaisar could quite plainly see the identity of the new guest, and was baffled that he couldn't think of it before.
He saw the messy purple screen attached to a black, grimy body suit, covered in a ratty brown cloak, this person was most likely homeless, but they were indeed a Quarian, but a male or female he wondered, he still didn't have his sensors on full alert.
"Eh…new friend Sir?" Kaisar asked concerned, his master remaining silent and weary.
The Quarian answered him by pointing his newly acquired silenced, lever-action shotgun in Kaisar's single green eye.
"Wait Miserere…Miserere…I don't know what's going on…but let's calm down shall we?" Kaisar voiced, lifting his arms into the sky, staying as still as a tree.
All stood still, and all stood silently, as silent as the grave. For what seemed like hours, the Quarian held the rival robot at gunpoint whilst Anaximander only watched, his head turning to either being, unsure on how to act.
"Hakon…listen to me carefully…this isn't an ordinary Geth…this is my butler…his name is Kaisar…he is reprogrammed…he doesn't know anything about his past life" Anaximander tried to negotiating to his new friend.
The dirty hooded figure spoke in his native tongue, perhaps having deactivated his translator, perhaps to ignore the voice of reason.
"You killed by uncle you sonofa-boshtet, you ruined my peoples' life" Hakon spoke softly his eyes and shotgun still trained on the android.
Upon hearing the alien language Anaximander realized he had deactivated his translation module, he used this to his advantage to damage control.
"Kaisar, deactivate the shotgun remotely, don't answer back" Anaximander whispered before immediately beginning again.
"Hakon…please don't do this…he's my friend…I know about what his kind has done to your people, it's kind of like what females have done to mine"
The Quarian remained motionless; Anaximander couldn't tell if he'd reactivated his translator, so he just kept on speaking. Perhaps Hakon wanted to be dramatic when he executed the personification of his eternal suffering.
"Anaximander…I know this model…all Quarians do…it isn't the same chassis…but it is the same light"
Anaximander was relieved; he was translating in English again, meaning he had reactivated his translator. He still kept his gun trained at the Geth, meaning he didn't know it was deactivated; Kaisar had done so the last time Anaximander spoke.
"His light, what does this have to do with anything?"
"Where did you get him from?"
"Er…Altair's older brother gave him to me…it was a Christmas present…he'd just come back from a mission"
"On the Flotilla…all have heard the legend…the legend of Rettis'Orthem…Green Slaughter"
"You've seen Kaisar before?"
"Since the Geth rebelled against us…one Geth had been responcible for more death…more slaughter than any other in the collective, the one with the green light"
"Listen…his light wasn't modified…but couldn't it have been? There's no way it could be the same person"
"I know him from the Viucile…it is where my uncle lived…he was the Captain of the vessel…he was ambushed trying to send food and medicine to the Flotilla after our ships suffered a horrible famine"
"Listen Kaisar isn't going to hurt anyone, let's just put the gun down and let's talk about this…please?"
Hakon lowered the gun, but still stared down the Geth. Kaisar released his arm joints before they locked up, and walked besides Anaximander, if he were a living being he may have been seeking comfort, he may have been anyways.
"Rettis'Orthem piloted a one-man ship, he penetrated the Viucile's defenses, and he alone slaughtered everyone aboard the ship, not a single survivor" Hakon continued.
"Alright…I don't know where Kaisar came from but Rettis-whatever he was called is gone, his memory was wiped when he was given to me, he's dead. Please I am telling you, Kaisar is someone else." Anaximander stood in front of Kaisar.
"It wasn't enough…it wasn't enough for him…it wasn't enough for the Geth…Rettis'Orthem masqueraded as my uncle and piloted his ship into the Flotilla space, and onto the ship they were delivering to" Hakon began to choke up.
"When he boarded…he slaughtered everyone on the ship…men, women, and children in their bubbles…HE SPARED NO ONE!" Hakon's was now sobbing, raising his gun again.
Kaisar could feel no fear, in truth it wouldn't matter if he was shot, he could simply transfer his memory onto Anaxavia, he was truly immortal.
Despite this however, his emotional moduel felt an emotion, though Kaisar was confused to what it was…pity? Sympathy? Empathy? He would think on it later.
"Only 5 escape pods made it to the accompaniang ship, which turned it's guns on the ship…but the green-glowing-Geth escaped in his one-man vessel…and would continue to do so…until 8 years ago" Hakon finished, throwing the gun on the ground out of anger, turning away from the Civilized.
"I know it must hurt, but you said it yourself…it was 8 years ago…I think Altair's brother reprogrammed Rettis…Please…this is Kaisar now" Anaximander spoke after a minute of contemplation.
Hakon was no longer a fool. He knew he'd acted out of emotion and not logic. The past 14 hours had changed Hakon forever. He had killed another being, become a different species for an hour, and exposed himself to a galaxy-grade terrorist committing interspacial espionage. Hakon didn't really care anymore…he was tired…he wanted to sleep…Quarians be dammed…they weren't that special to him anymore.
Without any other word, Hakon walked to the Future, operated the door, and sat in the very back seat. He also came to a realization: He hadn't stuttered once, maybe he was getting better.
"I don't mean to question your judgement Sir…BUT WHO IN THE NAME OF THE QUEEN IS THAT?" Kaisar whispered loudly, trying to come up with a logical explanation as to what had just happened.
In the past 6 minutes Kaisar had discovered that he was not only a fugitive member of the Geth androids, but a genocidal enforcer who'd had his memory wiped clear and programmed as a butler. Even for an unemotional being, it was quite a bombshell.
"I did what Altair does, I converted him, I opened his eyes. He wants to join Civilization, he's been lied to his entire life, he wants better. I'm going to vouch for him to Altair" Anaximander spoke, vocally tired and sore, the bags under his eyes became much more pronounced.
"You want to bring an Alien to Altair's galaxy, and give him his own galaxy…Sir…HAVE YOU GONE INSANE?" Kaisar continued to whisper.
"I know I know. It's irrational, it's stupid, but it is the right thing to do" Anaximander insisted.
"This isn't going to end well" Kaisar spoke, beginning to walk to the Futura, intentionally ignoring the new Quarian guest, whose name he still didn't catch.
"He can't even get along with a robot…Altair is going to kill me…no he's going to make me wish I were dead…that's more his style" Anaximander spoke hopelessly.
The trio was silent as the car rose to the atmosphere, and as the internal mass effect relay activated itself to transport themselves to Altair's galaxy.
Anaximander used his universal code to enter the galaxy, but by now Altair was no doubt aware that an alien was indeed in his galaxy.
Fear was an emotion that Anaximander hadn't felt in years, but now he experienced a fear unlike any he'd ever felt before.