Chapter 42

The People With No Name

"And here they come," Growled the boar. His eyes darted away from Sonic and towards the sound of approaching footsteps. A gang of soldiers and a dozen sentinels rushed towards them with Howl at their head. When the wolf spotted the source of the commotion his eyes narrowed with disgust. Sonic was ignored completely as the imperial guards formed a semi circle around the Thirteens.

"Are you causing problems again, Priam?" Howl spat. His hand was already on his sword hilt. He did not look annoyed so much as excited at the prospect of a battle. "You lot aren't allowed to congregate here anymore. I thought that was clear."

Priam, who was still standing atop the mound of the broken down temple, towered over the imperials. He drew himself up to his full height and glowered at Howl. "My honor is sworn to a higher power than yours imperial. Is it such a crime for me to speak the truth?" Priam spoke in a confident, commanding tone, but Sonic noticed several of the women step to the side to put distance between themselves and the boar.

"We should go," Simon whispered in Sonic's ear. "Now." Sonic remained where he was. His eyes darted back and forth from Howl to Priam.

The imperial captain was studying the boar intently, clearly devising how best to deal with his haughty tone. At last, Howl clicked his tongue and the sentinels responded by zooming upward. They enclosed the cage around the Thirteens. Their menacing red eyes expanded and flashing red dots appeared all over Priam's body. Sonic knew at once it meant that the sentinels had targeted him with their weapons. "There is no truth save for our emperor's command," Howl responded with false politeness. "Anyone who insists otherwise is a traitor and an enemy."

Priam snorted. He held out the bronze pendant of the sun he was clutching in his hand. "Solaris, the King of Eternal Flame is the inferno of truth. Your emperor and his lies will-"

"No!" One of the women broke rank and seized Priam around the neck. "That's enough, please Priam!"

Howl snorted with contemptuous laughter. "You'd best listen to the woman, priest. She is wiser than you anyway. For a moment there I thought you were going to say something really nasty."

The other guards joined in on the laughter. "Is this how far your star has fallen?" Howl continued. "A priest cowed by the terrified groans of a woman?"

Priam's face twisted with rage. He made to move forward, but more women joined the first to hold him back. Howl sneered and Sonic noted an evil glint in the wolf's eye. "Perhaps they can help you learn your place," With a dramatic flourish, Howl drew his sword. The steel did not catch the light of the sun like Sonic would have expected. Instead of silver, the blade was a deep oily black that seemed to absorb the light around it. Howl aimed the point at Priam. The motion of the blade left a faint trail of black motion hovering in the air. "I wonder if watching me cut up your acolytes would teach you humility?"

Before Priam could react to this threat, one of the veiled women scampered cautiously towards Howl. Her face was veiled but when the wind moved it, Sonic could see the face of a young hedgehog. She reminded him instantly of Amy, except her eyes were not full of eager optimism, but were cold and void of feeling. Without any preamble she knelt before Howl. "Please sir, we will go. Ignore my friend's heated words. We are all hungry and hunger has shaken our wits."

Howl's smile of triumph stretched from ear to ear. He stepped forward until he towered over the prostrated Thirteen. "Do you see Priam?" Howl placed his foot on the hedgehog's back and pressed her into the sand. At once, both Sonic and Priam made to rush forward. Sonic was held back by Simon and Priam by the woman who had stopped him before.

"What are you doing?" Simon groaned as he wrestled Sonic backward. None of the imperial guards noticed the commotion. They were all staring at Priam, waiting for him to make a move.

Sonic felt blood rushing to his head. His fists were balled, but for the moment, he allowed Simon to hold him back. If things escalated, Sonic knew he could easily throw the beaver off and intervene.

"Pay attention because I don't want to have to go over this again," Howl lectured as he dug the point of his sword inches away from the girl's face. "This is where you Thirteens belong. On the dirt, groveling at our feet." Howl's gloating expression darkened. His lip curled and he bared his sharp fangs. "This constant need to parade yourselves as beggars and make out that you are the persecuted, disgusts me. The emperor has offered you a new world, a better world. Before the empire your country was a doormat. Even while under imperial control you were a backwards land. Now the true emperor is setting things right. I will not allow you to stop the wheel of progress."

Howl raised his leg and the young hedgehog girl collapsed into the street. The wolf captain looked down at her and addressed her without any trace of pity. "You are hungry because your pride will not allow you to eat. Nothing has been denied you." Howl again pointed at Priam with the point of his blade. "Behold the mirror of your future. He is all that you could hope to become. Old, broken, clinging to a world that is already gone. Embrace the emperor, embrace the new world he is making. Everything else is but a shadow with no substance."

Howl sheathed his blade and motioned for his soldiers to reform around him. "Disperse and I will let you live, but continue with these disturbances Priam and the punishment will not fall on your head." He smiled wolfishly at the boar. "I know how eager you are to die for your precious flame god, but I will not satisfy that craving. You will watch as your friends here feed the pyres while you live out your life in comfort and luxury."

Sonic watched Priam's defiant expression falter. For the first time, he appeared genuinely frightened. Howl laughed and his bark of jubilation echoed even when he and the imperial guard were long gone.

When he was out of sight, Sonic slipped out of Simon's grip and raced over to the girl. "Here." He offered out his hand.

The girl gazed at it and then at Sonic's face. He saw her eyes tremble with a mixture of confusion and fear. "Stay away from her!" Priam grumbled as he came over and helped her to her feet. "Are you alright Jasmine?"

Jasmine dusted herself off and nodded. "I am alright." She spoke to Priam, but she continued to stare fixedly at Sonic.

"You had best leave," Priam told Sonic. "Every second you spend near us, marks you as more and more of a traitor."

"Come on!" Simon was standing several feet away from the Thirteens. He had partially concealed himself between two houses. He was gesturing frantically at Sonic to come over to him.

"Your friend has the right idea at least," Priam commented dryly.

Sonic still didn't move. "What was that all about? What did you do wrong?"

"My duty," Priam spat. "I am bound as a priest of Solaris to carry out the rites of lament. This temple stood for hundreds of years before the imperials tore it down. Its hallowed memory lingers on, and is accessible to us even today as long as we maintain the traditions of our forefathers. The ministry of lament is a very sacred tradition, one of the many that the imperials deny us."

Sonic turned his head. Jasmine was still stealing furtive glances at him. That made him remember what she had said. "Do they deny you food as well?"

Priam's expression darkened worse than ever. "Only those cursed with the mark may trade in the empire's market." His eyes shot down towards Sonic's wrist. With shocking speed he snatched Sonic by the hand and held up his arm. The Imperial Persona shown just beneath Sonic's glove. "A brand for slaves," Priam hissed before releasing Sonic.

"True sons and daughters of Soleanna would never betray their king by maring their bodies with the symbols of the enemy." Priam looked defiant and proud at this proclamation, but Sonic noticed that Jasmine dropped her eyes. Sonic looked and saw that many of the women had similar reactions. Only a few seemed as proud and willing as Priam.

"Are there many of you? True sons and daughters I mean?"

"Only a remnant." Priam inspected Sonic closely as if evaluating how much he should tell him. "But I will tell you no more. You are a marked imperial. Go your way, and we will go ours." Priam turned away and walked back towards the group.

Jasmine lingered. Sonic could see that beneath her veil, she was biting her lip and glancing back and forth from Sonic to Priam. Making up her mind, she walked over to him. "Thank you for your concern," She said softly. "We rarely elicit sympathy from Imperials. The blessing of Solaris protect you."

Sonic was watching her face so he did not see her hand. It brushed against his only slightly but he felt something solid being forced into his grip. Taking the cue, Sonic moved that hand behind his back. "Thanks, I guess," He said with a small smile.

Jasmine stepped away from him, shot a nervous glance over at Simon, then turned and ran to catch up to Priam and the others. While she left, Sonic pretended to stretch his quad by holding his foot. He casually slipped the note he had been given into his shoe. When it was safely stowed away, Sonic yawned and stretched. "So, are we finally going to get some food?"

An hour later, Sonic sat at a sturdy wooden table in front of a plate of steaming veggies and a bowl of hot soup. Simon's "house" was more what Sonic would have called an apartment. Simon and Flip rented one floor while others did the same on the floors below and above. "It's perfect for us workers," Simon said when he ushered Sonic inside.

The flat consisted of one living room with a thrush floor, two bedrooms and a single kitchen. In line with everything Sonic had seen so far, the house combined ancient and modern technology. The mashup made Sonic feel as if he were filming a movie with late antiquity as its backdrop. The camera would be directed at the hand pressed water faucet, the stiff handmade chairs grouped around the narrow trestle table, and the plain mud packed walls. Meanwhile, out of frame, the cast and crew would enjoy the comforts of a state of the line refrigerator, air conditioning, and microwave.

Simon had smacked the top of the microwave and smiled broadly at Sonic when he showed it to him. "These are brand new, straight from the capitol. Designed by the emperor himself. District Thirteen wasn't supposed to receive these until late next year, but I have a friend who works in the Imperial technologies program."

Sonic took a curious glance at the microwave and was surprised to see that it had no cords. In fact, none of the appliances present in the room seemed to plug in anywhere. Again, Sonic wished that he had brought Tails along after all. The fox would have been euphoric at the prospect of learning about new kinds of machinery and power grids. Sonic, however, was only mildly interested and wasn't going to waste his time asking about how the microwave turned on.

Once the meal was successfully heated, Simon presented the spread to his guest. The soup was not so strange, it was red and tasted similar to tomato soup. The vegetables, on the other hand, were completely different from the ones on earth. They were arrayed in bright neon colors and they were far more bulbous in shape, similar to mushrooms. Sonic risked a sniff and guessed they would taste the same as vegetables back on earth, a prospect that did not tempt him very much. His stomach grumbled slightly and Sonic wondered if it would be rude to ask if Simon had any chili dogs.

Simon sat across from him and tied a bib around his neck. He was about to dive into his own meal when he paused suddenly. "O that's right," He grumbled. Simon directed his gaze towards the mantle in the living room. Where a tv would have dominated most earthbound dwellings, Simon's place had only a circular black orb. "We thank you, Lord Mesto, for this gracious bounty." The black orb sparkled.

Sonic raised his eyebrows and Simon mouthed for Sonic to repeat him. "We thank you…Lord Mesto for this…good…bounty?" Sonic repeated stiffly.

The black orb sparkled again. Without leaving his seat, Simon tossed a spoon across the room. It struck a blanket Sonic had thought was a tapestry hanging above the mantle. The blanket fell and covered the orb. Simon let out a sigh of relief. "I always forget about the Watchers. They're pretty new and damn annoying. But it's not difficult to fool."

"What is it?"

"A camera of sorts. It isn't always on but it pretty much keeps an eye on people while they are at home. It's programmed to pick up on certain things and turn off or on accordingly. The Watchers always turn on when people are about to eat because it wants to record their conversations. That is why I blessed the meal first instead of at the end so it thinks we are already done." Simon looked impressed with himself and smiled warmly.

"What is it used for? Who watches these recordings?"

"The guards use the recording in trials to prove people's guilt or innocence. There is a mic in it as well, but it only picks up certain words or phrases. If one was to…forget that this is called District Thirteen and not…something else for instance, the mic would pick that up and start to record."

Sonic felt a shudder trace down his spine. He shot a nervous glance back towards the now blocked Watcher. "Can it hear us now?"

Simon shook his head. "Not unless we say something treasonous."

"Didn't you just say you got that microwave when you shouldn't?"

Simon laughed. "That's not the kind of thing the Watchers care about. The Hive is recording and shifting through countless conversations all over the district. No one goes through it all. The Watchers have an algorithm for spotting real traitors and potential threats, microwaves don't fit into it."

Before diving back into his food, Simon snapped and scolded his own memory. He bustled back over to the fridge and returned with two cans of what looked like soda. Sonic accepted his drink without much interest and took a polite sip. To his surprise, it did not taste like soda at all but the freshest apple juice he had ever tasted.

Simon gulped half of his down in one swig and wiped his mouth. "Can't have ale in the house anymore," He said with a belch. "Flip can't contain himself. But these new Colas aren't so bad."

Sonic wasn't sure whether or not he should laugh so he took another drink. "Who is Lord Mesto? Is that another one of Eggman's new titles?" It would not surprise Sonic if Eggman was forcing his subjects to thank him for every meal.

Simon frowned and scooped out a particular long vegetable out of his plate that looked like a stick of celery. "No." Simon took a savage bite of vegetable and chewed aggressively. "Mesto is the provincial governor of District Thirteen. The self styled king of-" Simon shot a furtive glance at the camera before mouthing the word Soleanna.

"He is the reason why we all have Watchers in our homes and sentinels are everywhere," Simon continued. "Mesto is extremely paranoid and right he should be. All Thirteens loathe him."

"Why?"

"You saw what they were like. They are obsessed with their traditions and their sense of national significance. Though they've been a part of the empire for a long time they have always maintained a rather unique status. Their king was even allowed to keep his crown. He used to rule in partial union with the Imperially designated provincial governor."

Simon shoved more food into his mouth and crunched down with relish. Sonic wondered if table manners only existed on earth. "When Mesto came to the governor's office it was a rare case because he was the first provincial governor to be a natural thirteen," Simon continued. "His fellow countrymen considered him a blood traitor and worse than the imperials. He followed that reputation by implementing deadly persecutions on his own people. Though, personally, it is my belief that Emperor Zertian was the real culprit. He planted Mesto there as an easy scapegoat. Because he was a natural thirteen, the people would hate him especially, so much so they had no more rage left for the emperor." Simon scoffed and drained the last of his cola.

"But why would he turn against his own people?" Sonic asked.

Simon shrugged. "For power? Why else? Unfortunately for him, Mesto did not realize how low the ceiling for his power was until it was too late. After all his persecutions, after all he had done in service for the empire, Mesto was still not a natural imperial. Among all the provincial governors, he was pushed to the margins with all the rest who were not of the true blood. I think Mesto came to hate Emperor Zertian and he feared that one day the emperor would have him killed when he no longer needed him. Alas, irony would turn that particular nail on its head."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, Zertian was content to let Mesto fume because the emperor did not think he needed to fear the little foreign governor who was loathed by his own people and shunned by all true imperials. But that was before he came."

The note of awed reverence in Simon's voice when he said "he" cued Sonic in on who he was talking about at once. "Robotnik?"

Simon nodded gravely. "One man against an empire that had stood for thousands of years. Countless generations of accumulated knowledge of warfare, legions of specially trained soldiers, against one man and his machines. The Civil War exploded like nothing ever before. It made the previous century of civil strife look like a picnic. Just when Zertian was starting to turn the tide and figure out a way to combat Robotnik's machines-SLAP!" Simon smacked his hand down on the table.

"The Summer of the Hidden Blade," He whispered weightily. "In the shadows the emperor had banished him to, Mesto rallied all the other disgruntled provincial governors to himself and allied them to Robontik. With the Iron Fist behind him, Robotnik was able to make a surge to the capital. It is said that Mesto killed Zertian himself, right on the steps of the Capitoline Hill." Simon leaned back in his chair. "From that day on, Mesto styled himself Lord Mesto the Sly and became the emperor's right hand. He is no longer simply the hated governor of his people, he is now the revered and worshiped king."

Sonic rubbed his hands together while tapping his feet anxiously on the ground. He felt like he needed to stand up to move. Idleness was almost unbearable. "And what about the king? You said…the Thirteens had a king also."

"Robotnik has him. He deposed him and set Mesto up as the sole ruler. The emperor understood that it was the district's unique sense of itself and its special place within the empire that caused all the strife. So he took away the king, all the rites and special customs, and-"

"Their name," Sonic finished for him.

Simon inclined his head in agreement. "Now District Thirteen is no different than the rest of the empire. You can always find a few like Priam who simply cannot accept reality, but most are starting to fall in line. What the emperor did was harsh, but most can agree that it was necessary and will prevent future bloodshed. Yet one thing Priam and his folk share with the most Imperialized thirteen is a deep hatred for Mesto."

Sonic felt at last he had heard something he could understand. "This Mesto…he's okay with hurting his own people, with taking away their name?"

Simon chuckled. "I doubt Mesto thinks of them as his people anymore. Like the Emperor, he believes the concept of nationality to be primitive, to be a relic of a bygone age. There is only the empire. But that doesn't mean he sleeps easily. Mesto fears losing what he gained. Those who come to power by stealth and by sabotage can never enjoy it, for they know only too well what may lie behind the most innocent smile."

In lue of more explanation, Simon dived into his food. He ate with extreme gusto which immediately explained the bib he wore to protect himself from stray food particles. Sonic ate more slowly. The vegetables were bland but no more so than earth vegetables.

However, in a rare moment, Sonic was not interested in his food. He had too much to think about and consider. The story of Mesto's rise was alarming but not any more so than any power grab in earth's history. Try as he might, Sonic could not work out how to explain why Eggman had to be stopped at all cost. He shifted in his seat and as he moved he felt the note still hidden in his shoe.

"I'm sorry we don't have meat," Simon said glumly as he noticed that Sonic had not started eating yet. "The meat ration is pretty low so we save it for special occasions."

"The meat ration?"

"Oh yeah, it was something implemented by the emperor. He doesn't want the districts over hunting or over breeding. Apparently, he wants the empire to shift to an all plant diet within the next decade."

Sonic gaped at him. "Eggman wants you all to not eat meat?"

Simon shrugged. "It's not that bad."

For what felt like the hundredth time since he had arrived, Sonic's brain felt like it was splitting in two because of the intersection of two contrary ideas. Eggman, the man who had actively tried to destroy what little remained of earth's environment was now implementing aggressively progssive strategies to prevent the same ecological damage from happening to a different world?

"Excuse me," Sonic pushed himself out of his chair. His mind was far too fractured to do something as simple as eat. "Do you have a bathroom?"

"It's through there," Simon said, indicating the door to his room.

Sonic headed that way. Simon's room was simple, consisting only of a simple wooden bed and a few knicknacks. There was a photo on the wall depicting a family of smiling beavers. In the corner was a stand with a set of imperial armor stationed on it. Sonic froze. He stared at the armor and then looked back towards the living room. Simon continued to eat, seemingly without a care in the world.

Sonic slipped through the room and entered the bathroom. He had been expecting another strange mash up of primitive and advanced technologies, but here at least he was met with something entirely familiar. Sonic closed the door gently and searched the space for more Watchers. Once he was certain he was alone, he removed his shoe and folded out the note.

Black ink sprawled across the parchment, but as Sonic should have guessed, it was written in a language he did not know. He sighed and leaned against the wall. Did he dare ask Simon to translate? If he did, the beaver was bound to ask him where the note came from. Frowning slightly, Sonic stared deeply at the note. Text analyzed. The woman's voice from the translator in Sonic's ear spoke suddenly. The woods tonight at twilight. The old ruins. Come alone.