Author's notes: Dumb computer issues. At least I separated this chapter from the rest ahead of time. After I post this I'm going to listen to the wind storm for a bit then go to bed, just in case you were wondering what I do after I post a chapter. You weren't? Aww. Well I seem to usually update around midnight for some reason. My brain is like "I should go to bed... no wait, I should update first."
The After Effects
"What do you mean I can't have his memory erased!?" Purple demanded loudly.
Lard Nar cracked open and eye when he heard the Tallest shouting... the first thing he noticed was he was no longer strapped down. He moved his arms closer to his body and curled up protectively. He was lying on Tallest Purple's bed... it reminded him of the first time he regained consciousness after he'd lost his crew.
"Sir... his psyche has been damaged too severely... if we erased his memory, we could end up erasing more than just the torture incident..."
"Our machines are not that inaccurate..." Purple muttered.
"It's a risk sir... it could cause permanent mental dysfunctions... that's all I'm saying."
Purple sighed. "Fine... I guess he'll have to recover his sanity on his own then."
"Yes sir."
The former captain heard someone coming closer to the bed, so he remained still and didn't move at all. At the same time, the sound of a door sliding shut signalled someone's leave.
"Are you awake now?" Purple questioned.
"I... I thought you were dead..." Lard Nar croaked. His throat still hurt, but other than that he felt no pain.
"Yes, well... luckily for me Red wasn't trying very hard to kill me, otherwise I might've been dead."
"H-How...?"
"My armour. It has a built in life-support system that temporarily takes over if my pak is removed or starts to malfunction," Purple paused. He wasn't too sure how to ask this question... but it needed to be asked. "How much do you remember?"
"Trying... not to..." Lard Nar mumbled shuddering.
He could still hear the torturer's snickering and the sounds of the different devices penetrating his skin... and the snap of his own bones breaking. He felt tears falling from his eyes. It was embarrassing to be crying in front of the Tallest... but then... he wasn't much of a captain anyway.
How could he expect to protect his crew and take down the Irken Empire if he couldn't even protect his himself...? And he'd already lost his crew... He really couldn't protect anything. He couldn't even fight back when they led him into the torture chamber.
"Here..." Purple said offering him a can of soda that had been sitting on the desk. "Try drinking this. It's flat, so it shouldn't cause you too much pain."
Lard Nar uncurled a bit under the blanket, and he turned to stare at the can without any expression at all. He didn't feel hungry or thirsty.
"The sooner you start eating and drinking, the sooner I can remove the IV," Purple explained. "I did promise you freedom, but you have to work at getting better first. Understand?"
"I... I want to leave... now…" Lard Nar muttered. Everything in this ship reminded him of his captivity... he wanted to leave more than anything else.
"Alright..." Purple said as he placed the soda back on the desk. "I'll figure something out. But you should at least try drinking something before you go so I'll feel better about removing the IV."
"Wait..." Lard Nar muttered as he slowly raised himself to sit. He wrapped the blanket tight around himself because he wasn't wearing any clothes. He winced when he thought about the burns he'd received… and he could still feel pain where the guard had cut him open. "You're... leaving?"
"Yes," Purple answered raising an invisible brow. "Why? Is there a problem?" The Vortian fidgeted nervously and lowered his eyes.
"Red wouldn't dare try anything like that again... not if he knows what's good for him," Purple growled. "I've already contacted Adviser Tad about the matter. Red is due to have a hearing with Irk's head Control Brain within the next twenty-four cycles."
Then Lard Nar noticed his hand felt a bit different. He looked at it more closely, his eyes widening when he realized it was made of metal coated in a substance that looked like skin... but it wasn't. It was a Vortian invention.
"It's... it's really gone..." Lard Nar mumbled as he continued to stare.
"And your horn wouldn't reattach properly either, so it's being held in place by a metal band. I asked prisoner 777 about it. Apparently they don't grow back."
"Y-yeah..."
"The Empire has a lot of technology. I'm sure I can find something that will reattach it for good eventually," Purple offered as some encouragement. "For now the band will work. Do you want to try drinking the soda yet?"
Lard Nar slowly shook his head no.
Purple rubbed one of his eyes. "Ok then... I'll be gone for half a cycle. You can try walking if you want. I think I did a better job at fixing your legs this time."
"You were the one...?"
"I have some medical experience... not a lot, but it's enough to get by. Besides, with the kind of technology we have, almost anything can be fixed easily," Purple paused when the door slid open, and he glanced over his shoulder. "I guess that's one of the perks of conquering other planets." He stepped out into the hallway, leaving Lard Nar alone in quiet contemplation.
The former captain's thoughts were quickly filled with the memories and sensations of the torture he'd experienced. He shut his eyes and ground his teeth, balling his hands into fists. The memories were painful... would he ever be able to get over this?
Purple had definitely gone above and beyond Lard Nar's shaky expectations... but so had the red Tallest... how could two almost identical Irkens act so differently?
He glanced at the tube running into his arm. Then, without giving it another thought, he tore it out. He bit his tongue and winced. Blood trickled down his arm, bringing back another flood of memories from the torture chamber.
"No dlark it..." he told himself squeezing his eyes shut. It didn't matter. He could still see the horrible images in his mind. "I... I don't want to think about it..." he muttered to himself.
Purple returned in a half-cycle, just like he said he would. The Tallest sighed when he saw the IV hanging beside the bed, and the blood soaking into the blanket from the Vortian's arm.
"That's not a bandage you know," Purple notified him.
"I know..." Lard Nar mumbled.
Purple sighed and placed his hands on his hips. "You couldn't have waited for me to do that? It would have been a lot less messy."
Lard Nar shrugged his shoulders and kept his eyes downcast. He was still sitting, although he was trying to avoid looking at his blood.
"The Spittle Runner is ready," Purple told him.
"What will I do... when I leave...?"
"Isn't that the beauty of it? You can do anything you want."
"I... I don't know what I want anymore..." Lard Nar admitted.
"Yes... yes you do Lard Nar," Purple said evenly. "You want to escape from here. You want to start a new and better resistance, and you want to stop the Irken Empire from destroying or enslaving anymore planets."
"Not... really..." Lard Nar murmured, rubbing his sore arm. "I just want to leave here... because it freaks me out..."
Purple let out a long sigh. "Fine. I'll go with you."
"Huh?"
"You heard me. If you don't know what you're doing, you're bound to get into trouble... and I'm sick of being stuck in this place anyway, so I'll take you outside of the Empire."
"But... won't the Empire... panic?"
"If Red is convicted of treason, then yes. I'll be the only Tallest fit to rule Irk."
"Then..."
Purple waved away his worries. "Just think of it as a vacation."
"But if aliens outside the Empire recognize you..."
"They won't."
"But if they do, you'll be treated as a prisoner... maybe worse."
"Yes, probably," Purple agreed. "But I've got a plan."
"What is your plan exactly...?" Lard Nar questioned, narrowing his eyes at the Tallest.
"You'll see."
"That's not very comforting..."
"Buuut... I just made you forget didn't I?" Purple teased. He smirked as he watched the Vortian' eyes widen. "Haa... You're still fun to mess with."
"I'm actually worried about you..." Lard Nar muttered. "You've almost died once already, and if the rest of the universe sees you as I used to... well... you'll probably end up dying."
"Yeah, but I'm an Irken, and I'm the Tallest," Purple reminded him with a cheeky smirk. "I won't die easily, and you aren't responsible for my safety. I won't end up like your crew did." He was trying to bait the Vortian into a verbal battle of sorts, but when Lard Nar sullenly withdrew from the conversation completely, the Tallest recognized he'd overstepped his bounds.
He cleared his throat. "Anyway, have you tried walking yet?"
"Not without clothes..." Lard Nar murmured.
"Well yours were all cut-up, and I didn't think you'd appreciate waking up in standard Irken attire." He held up one of his hands and wiggled his two fingers. "Would you believe I'm horrible at sewing?"
"...I don't really care... about the uniform... anything would have worked..."
Purple stared at him for a moment. His antennae fell back. The Vortian's attitude had changed a lot... It was a bit troubling.
"Try anyway," Purple insisted.
Lard Nar didn't respond.
The Tallest crossed his arms over his chest. "Do you think I'm joking or something?" he asked. "If one of your legs isn't healed properly, I need to know about it before we leave the Massive. This ship happens to have everything we need to heal you properly... minus the actual medical personnel of course."
The Vortian was clutching the blanket very tightly now.
Purple moved a bit closer and reached to take the blanket from him.
"Don't..." Lard Nar whimpered as he ducked away from the Tallest's hand. "Please don't..."
Purple froze. He wanted to kick something. Where was Grahl when he needed him anyway? He withdrew his hand and rubbed his forehead. "Mind telling me why you're being so defensive around me? I did spend hours saving your life, and believe me, you weren't clothed then either."
Lard Nar tugged the blanket over his head and lay back down without speaking a word.
"Ok then... apparently I'm invisible," Purple remarked. "Soo... I guess I'll just go and make sure Red hasn't killed any of the guards."
This time Lard Nar didn't say anything when the Tallest left.
More Notes: I didn't include all the torture that happened. If I did, I'd probably have to give this fic a higher rating, and I don't want to do that. But yes, Lard Nar did lose his hand. This isn't a huge plot device or anything, but it will make for some interesting conversation later maybe?
Ah Red. Even by Irken standards he's gone too far. Not with the torture of course, Irkens couldn't care less about how many aliens their leaders torture to death, but the fact Red nearly killed his fellow Tallest… well a regular Irken would be deactivated immediately. We shall see what the Empire thinks of this!
Until next time. –Leaves for 5 years-
Just kidding! I know with my track record I shouldn't be making those kinds of jokes…