So, yeah.
This was the day. The day that a lot of things changed for me. Granted, the end result was ultimately better than expected, but, well...
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Once the tower on my homeworld had finished construction, I had filled it with a variety of facilities, ranging from rooms that were expected with any form of housing (bedroom, guest rooms, dining rooms, living rooms, restrooms, etc.) to ones that would be more helpful for a Commander, such as workshops, laboratories, powerplants, and a medical bay.
Following my rescue of those people within the Blind Eye base, I'd moved them here for safe keeping. I did plan to return them, along with the children I'd rescued, but first I wanted to be sure that they were doing okay. Given my already large tech-base, this wasn't exactly a problem for me. With access to x-rays, ultrasound, and other kinds of examinations, I was able to find and treat any maladies affecting these people, and at no cost to myself. Which was good, because some of these people had serious issues: one person had been paralyzed (apparently due to injuries while he was being kidnapped), another had third degree burns over his legs (due to an accident at the power plant he worked at), while a third had a rather large tumor on his neck.
I was personally overseeing the surgery of the man with the tumor. While I didn't really need to do this, at some point on my journey, I was going to see all kinds of bloodshed and carnage, which I was rather squeamish around (unless it was animated), so I decided to try and expose myself to some messiness now and get used to it. Plus I wanted to be able to help people with my own hands if I had to.
The machines were just about to begin the procedure when I received a call from Fide.
"Sir, someone would like to speak with you."
I sighed and ordered the machines to stop. My followers had been asking for audiences with me, mostly because they wanted to see me with their own eyes, or occasionally to help with fixing buildings or planning future growth of the cities they lived in. They felt that they should consult me, who they regarded as being a god, before they should act on those matters. This had started to grate on my nerves, so I'd asked Fide to politely tell them that I couldn't take visitors today, because I had other projects to work on. While that was partially true, the other issue was that I needed some time to rest and consolidate my resources for later projects.
"I'm still busy-" I began.
"Um, they are insisting they meet with you know. They literally walked right past me." Worryingly, Fide sounded distressed while talking about the new guests. If the guests had managed to make her uncomfortable, that meant they were probably worth my time.
"Alright. Could you describe them?"
"Well, one looked like a giant insect, another looked like your average teenage boy, with red hair, blue eyes, and a black bodysuit, while the other one wore a mask and white armor. Going off the voices of the odd ones, the insectoid one was male, but when the armored one spoke, sounded like a dozen people were talking whenever the armored one spoke."
Interesting appearances. "Did they tell you their names?"
"Only the armored one. They said their name was Rob."
...
...
...OH SHIT.
"...Sir?"
"I'M FIN-I'm fine, Fide. Just give me a moment to find them on the cameras.."
"We're right outside."
I froze. The voice that had responded sounded like a dozen talking at once. More worrisome, though, was that I recognized that voice. It sounded like the one I had conversed with when I had first become a commander.
A moment later, the door nearest to the source of the voice opened, revealing tree figures exactly as Fide had described. They calmly filtered into the room, with the door quickly sealing behind them. Soon, it was dead silent in the room.
How? Why? What did I do to deserve this? Could I hurt them?
"Greetings, Commander Flame. I am R.O.B."
"I'm aware. Why are you here?"
"Well, I wanted to get a better look at your operations, see how my newest source of amusement is doing. Perhaps I also desired to see you squirm in my presence."
What a jerk. Well, might as well try to make the best of things.
However impossible that seems.
"I see. Well, let me take off my mask, then."
I'd finally finished creating the mask Id designed prior to the peace summit. It ended up looking a lot like a crocodile's face, or maybe a dinosaur. True, it was impractical as hell, but it did look rather intimidating. It was also equipped with systems that let it function as a gas mask, so there's that. I'd decided to wear it during the operation to minimize risk of infection for my patient. Now that I thought about it, I probably looked like a medieval plague doctor, though with a different mask and white robes rather than black ones.
Wearing the mask in front of ROB was pointless-they already knew who I was. Besides, it muffled my voice and I didn't want to end up offending a being who could crush me like an ant if they felt like it. Sighing as the mask came off and transformed into a far less threatening form, I returned my gaze to the trio before me.
"So, would you like me to treat you to lunch?"
"No, that is unnecessary. Though if I could have somewhere to sit down, that would be nice."
A second later, four chairs and a table had popped out of the floor. I took a seat at one end of the table, while the trio took position at the other.
"Oh, and I believe that I owe you a courtesy," replied the armored figure.
"Why's that?"
"I chose you to be my pawn, so you could say that we are arch-enemies. And I, for one, believe that arch-enemies are entitled to some manner of courtesy between each other."
Play along and don't tick off the Jerkass God.
"...Fair enough. So what courtesy am I owed?"
"This."
Then, to my surprise, ROB put a hand up to their face and grabbed the mask on their head. A moment later, I noticed several parts of the mask move so that it was no longer held firm against R.O.B.'s face. Then, the being before me removed the mask from their face.
"Ah, it feels good to take that off."
As the mask came off, the being's voice changed. It went from a dozen different voices down to one, and the one was distinctly feminine.
As for their-no, her face, well, the first thing I noticed was how pail it was. I got the feeling that she wore that mask too often to be healthy. Funnily enough, the mask itself, which resembled the Alienware logo, of all things, but with some funny symbols on it, was almost white as she was, barring the colored symbols adorning its face. She had blue eyes and long blond hair, so long, in fact, that I wondered how she kept in all hidden when she wore the mask. Must have involved ROB powers.
"...Wow, didn't see that coming."
Well, I didn't.
"Your shock doesn't exactly require an empath to notice. Also, don't mind my companions: they are only here for security and my personal comfort."
Then, to my surprise, the woman before me stood up and tapped on the chest-piece of her armor, which instantly began to retract until it was (somehow) compressed into a rhombus shaped prism, leaving her clad in what I could best describe as women's business attire, but all white.
Placing the prism on the table, the lady returned her attention to me.
"If you wish to remove your robes, feel free to do so. I know that you can easily avoid infecting your subject over there by sealing his...well, I guess that is more of a pod than an operating table."
How did she know what I was doing? Wait, she's the one who put me in this commander. She's probably been watching me this whole time, unless she has other pawns to play with.
Well, no sense in delaying my guest. I summoned up a coat rack and hung up my robes, leaving me clad in a form fitting black suit and black pants.
...funny: a man in black facing down a woman in white
"...Um, is there anything you would like me to refer to you as? Perhaps a name?"
I couldn't call her ROB, there were probably more of them out there.
"Well, you may call me Melissa, or Mel for short. Know now that that is not my real name, just the one I would like you to call me by. Before you ask, yes, most of my appearance is a glamour, but I am female."
I could work with that.
Now to try and get some info out of Mel. Hopefully without offending her.
"So, you said you came here just to rile me up?"
"Correct, Commander Flameal15k."
"Why? Am I going to slow for your plans?"
"You are taking things rather slowly, but I can wait. I prefer the long game. Though, I am surprised you haven't tried to attack me or my companions."
"Would any attempt I make on your life at the moment have any outcome other than abject failure?""
"...you raise an excellent point. Still, I'm surprised that your are so calm in my presence."
"If I'm honest, I'm terrified right now, but acting scared isn't going to help me."
Part of me was glad that, before this conversation, I'd shut off control over my bladder, because I'm pretty sure I'd need another pair of underpants after this if my groin hadn't started ignoring the signals my brain was sending.
"True. So, how have you taken the recent curveball?"
"What?"
"The fact that XCOM exists in this universe."
"Oh, that. Well, they seem friendly enough. I'd like to play things by ear for now, but I am sure I can be civil with them."
"You seem awfully intent on being peaceful with them."
"Why would they oppose me? I haven't done anything to offend them."
"True, but can you say the same of the other factions on this planet. Chungsu and ARC are masters of Espionage, and they might take your hacking of their databank's rather poorly."
"They're not that aggressive. Or stupid."
Melissa actually laugh at me when she heard that.
"Oh really? I do believe that human stupidity knows no bounds."
"We shall see."
"Indeed. Oh, and how are your new charges doing?"
"Fine, though I'm surprised that you asked...do you intend to-"
"No. I'm not that petty. Or cruel. Though, I do wonder what you intend to do with them."
"I'm not using them as test subjects, if you're implying that. I don't want to force them to undergo more trauma then they already have."
She actually chuckled at my response. "Oh, I know you wouldn't do that. You're too heroic to do that. Maybe a little naïve as well, since you assume that all of the colonies on this planet will play nice.
"Well, time will tell whether I'm too idealistic or you're too cynical. So I think any arguments there are not in our-er, your interest at the moment."
"True enough. Though, I must ask, what do you intend to do with your new charges."
"Once all of them have been medically cleared, I plan to send them back to their colonies. They deserve to be returned to their people.."
Mel actually looked shocked by that. Then, once again, she laughed.
Okay, now this was getting annoying.
"What's so funny about that?"
"You don't know anything about the people on this world, do you? Or what they've gone through."
"Maybe I'm a little blind there, but I'm learning."
"Not fast enough, it seems," was Mel's reply, in a voice that was oh so annoying.
"Well, what am I missing?"
"The crime syndicate you fought, the Blind Eyes, have been pushing an artificial famine onto this planet. They released specially engineered insects that resist pesticides so that they could cut down on crop production. As for existing supplies, well, they have several charities among their front organizations, so that they can profit off this suffering. I believe they got the idea out of a book, though which one I can't say."
...What? Seriously? There's no way this can be-nope, the news archives on this planet validate what she is saying. There really is a famine going on and most of the destroyed crops are the victims of insecticide resistant pests.
Really? The Blind Eyes were that petty? Unbelievable.
"Well, then I'll keep them under for a little longer, help fix the plague, grow more food for the colonists, then send back the subjects."
"...you know, I'm surprised you still don't seem to be getting my point here. Especially with how caring you are for your own creations."
Okay, enough vague comments, missy.
"Then what exactly is the point I'm missing?"
"You have several well developed planets with human compatible biospheres in this system. Why don't you just care for the colonists themselves?"
...What? Was she actually suggesting I treat them as people I ruled over?
Well, I could probably give them a higher standard of living than what was currently available in their home colonies thanks to my level of technological advancement. Additionally, I could probably use a few humans living with my creations if I wanted to claim that the Infernum Federation was a human colony. Though, was that really the right thing to do?
"Why, exactly, are you giving me this advice?"
"Well," she replied, "I think its funny that you haven't considered it for yourself. I mean, I'd expect you to want to help everyone you could in the face of such evil as what you witnessed in that lab."
"True, but I thought you'd want to make my life miserable."
"Please, spare me your malice. Your journeys are like any other hero's, so I need only wait for misery to come to you. Interfering too much would ruin the fun."
So she treat my life like a book?! Or maybe a movie!?
"So I'm just so spectacle for you to watch and comment on with your friends, is it?!"
Too my surprise, she actually went stiff when I said that.
"Yeah, sure. I guess." To my surprise, she didn't really seem that happy when she said that. Was she lying?
"Well, I'll take your suggestion into consideration." Like it or not, Mel's suggestion actually had some merit, though whether or not it was moral was a topic for another time.
"Overall, that seems reasonable. Besides, I can tell you've lost most of your apprehension over me, so I've clearly overstayed my welcome. Goodbye Commander Flame."
Finally.
"Well then-"
Just then, another of the apertures that lead into the room opened up as a Wolf-Beetle ran into the room and snatched a container of penicillin. I'd recently found out that they liked the taste of that particular medicine, for reasons beyond me. Following it was Rory, who tackled it into the ground, retrieved the container, and gently placed it back where it belonged. Then he looked up to face me.
"Um, sorry about that, Da-"
He faltered when he saw my companions. He still wasn't comfortable around others all that much, and considering the bug guy's appearance, I couldn't blame him. Of course, I was even more terrified than he was. I didn't know what Mel would do now. I mean, she could hurt Rory in some horrible way and I wouldn't be able to do a thing to stop her. For her part, the blonde just stared at him for a moment, then looked at me, then back at Rory. Then she smiled.
"Hello there, little boy. What's your name?"
Somehow, the blonde's calm greeting of my son just made me even more uncomfortable.
"..Um...it's...it's...it's...Rory."
"How cute. I'm Mel."
"Hi...I'm s-sorry f-for interrupting your m-meeting with my dad, but-"
"Nonsense. We were just wrapping up."
"Oh...well, I need to get this bug back to his pack."
"Could you stay a little while longer?"
"Um...well...wh-"
"Mom, are you almost done?"
The minute that voice was heard, Mel flinched. All eyes turned back toward the aperture she'd entered the room from. Standing in the now open aperture was a little girl, with turquoise eyes and platinum blonde hair. She looked to be about Rory's age.
"A-a-almost done, dear," was Mel's response.
Wait. Mel had a daughter? That was new.
Slowly, the little girl turned her attention to Rory.
"...who are you?" she asked in a soft, innocent sounding voice.
"...I'm Rory."
"I'm Cassidy."
"..Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too...do you want to play jacks?"
"...okay."
With that, Rory dropped the Wolf-Beetle into a chute that I'd opened up (which led back to a pack of the insects) before walking over to Cassidy and promptly exiting out of the aperture, which sealed behind the two.
The minute he left, I let out a sigh of relief. To my surprise, so did Mel. Her two companions just stared on impassively.
"...So," I began, finally breaking the silence, "you have a daughter?"
"Yes."
"...Do you have a Husband? A boyfriend, perhaps? Maybe even a girlfriend? I mean-"
"No. Cass came into this world in a similar way to how I presume your son came into it."
"I see. He's quite the handful, you know."
"So is Cass, but some things, like children, are worth the hassle."
"Indeed...Did we just have a civil conversation?"
"...Yes, actually. We did," was Mel's surprised response."
"...This never happened," I said, eager to deny the existence of this odd occasion.
"Agreed. Have a nice day."
With that, Mel got ready to leave the room. First, though, she walked up to the man I had been preparing to operate on. After a moment, she placed her right hand on the container, and to my surprise, said hand began to glow. The light lasted for a moment, then faded. Confused, I pulled up biometric data on the man, and was stunned to find that his tumor was gone.
"Consider this another courtesy. I do not demand compensation, but do not expect anymore assistance from me.
With that, Mel and her companions left.
"Cass, it's time to go."
"Can we wait five more minutes, please? I want to finish my game with Rory."
"I'm sorry, but we can't."
"Please?"
"No. Though maybe we could find a time to continue your game later."
While the possibility of meeting ROB again was not exactly something I wanted, Cass' voice was so full of pleading and childish charm that I was actually willing to overlook that discomfort...assuming Rory still wanted to play with her.
"Okay. Bye Rory."
"Bye Cassidy. Come back soon."
When I could no longer hear the sound of their footsteps, I tuned in to my cameras and tracked down the quartet. To my surprise, they had opened some kind of portal and were now walking through it to a docking hanger I'd attached to my tower. From there, they entered a peculiar looking ship, which lifted up and out of the hanger, before disappearing through another portal.
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The meeting was unexpected, but it ultimately went better than I had hoped. I was rather surprised that I had ultimately remained civil with Mel and even managed to agree with her on something.
Yeah, that conversation did end up being important in the long run, and for a lot of reasons...
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AN: Read and Review! This is Flameal15k, signing off!