Multi-colored lights flashed on the virtual control panel hanging in the air before Loki. Using the sensor glove, he slid the appropriate galactic files into the calculations module. His task at hand was routine. He should not have been having as much difficulty as he was.
Another negative beep sounded from the console.
Loki rubbed his brow and leaned back in his seat. As he sighed in frustration, the hatch opened.
Calypso sensed his disturbed state and closed the hatch behind her. As she slid into the pilot’s seat, she did her best to pretend she had not noticed. “Are the astrogations ready?”
“No, sorry. I’m having difficulty focusing right now.” Loki returned to his virtual screen.
“There is no hurry right now. As long as we get the calculations in a timely matter.”
Loki flipped off all local monitoring devices, creating secure space. He sat silently for a moment before speaking. “Calypso.”
“Yes,” she replied coldly.
“Something’s been bothering me.”
Here it comes, Calypso thought. “You know we are not allowed to discuss our feelings around missions. It would cause unnecessary problems for not only you, but me as well.”
Loki turned to face the pilot’s chair. “I know, but I need to talk now.”
“You need to wait until you see your debriefing counselor.”
“I need to talk to someone I trust.”
Calypso turned in her chair to face him. The emotional anguish on her ex-lover’s face was evident. She couldn’t turn him down. “Okay, but it goes no farther than this room. Especially not to the debriefing counselor.”
A moment of gazing. All of the ship’s noises seemed far louder than normal in the silence.
“What’s wrong,” Calypso said finally letting out her compassion for him.
Loki buried his head in his hands. “I think we’re wrong. I think we just killed a whole lot of innocent people.”
“They’re pirates. Pirates aren’t innocent people.”
“Okay, maybe they’re not completely innocent.” He looked up at her, “But I don’t think they were the guilty of the raids we executed them for.”
Shock overcame Calypso. It was as if her greatest fear had just come true. “What are you talking about Loki? I was given the report of their guilt directly from the Chancellor herself. The Agency’s intelligence reports are high-quality information. According to the information, these pirates are guilty of the raids. There is no reason to believe that they would have made a mistake.”
“That’s the problem,” Loki’s voice began to raise, but he quickly calmed himself. “Look at this information that we stole from the pirate database.” Loki turned toward his virtual panel, loaded in his own password, and drew out information for the holo-screen. “I know. We are always supposed to destroy all pirate databases to prevent tripping universal info transferal links that would send their info to an undisclosed location. But, before I did so, I took the risk of making a copy. According to their own records, they were ‘on vacation’ at Asgaard Station. They weren't anywhere near the crime scene. See, it’s right here.”
Calypso looked at the information that Loki pointed to. He was right.
She shook her head. “This information could have been forged in case of capture…”
“No,” he interrupted. “They all know that all their data will be wiped. There would be no reason.”
Calypso’s legs lost their strength and she sat back down in the pilot’s seat. In a half-daze she murmured, “Why didn’t Intel pick that up?”
Loki reached over to take her hand. “Calypso, I think they did. There’s no reason they shouldn’t have. I think they lied to us.”
With those words, tears came to Calypso’s eyes. Loki leaned forward to take her head on his shoulder.
All those years in service to the Agency. How many times had they been lied to? How many people had they taken in who were not guilty. How many supposed “criminals against the state” had died needlessly? Was there any truth at all to be found in what they had been told? Was there anyone out there they trust now?
5 comments:
So far so good. Makes me think of Bush/Iraq/Pentagon. I'm surprised, however, that Calypso wasn't more skeptical...more "let's just wait and see...I need more time to think about this." She seems like the more level-headed one, and much more trusting of authority than Loki
Keep it coming. I like the feel.
Fatherman, thanks for the comment. I'm glad you pointed that out. You're right. She is more trusting with authority. I need to give her time to wrestle with it all (and maybe have a few nervous breakdowns). Maybe she should get angry, yell, and storm out in denial. Then let it sink in over time.
Yeah. Maybe there is a particular person who symbolizes that authority for her who will be betray her...oooh...she stubbornly hopes against hope that Loki is just being his same old blowing-it-out-of-proportion, emotional self...when in fact it is emotion (a quality that has been discouraged by the powers that be) that has allowed him to question the authority and intuit their evil intent.
Loki the "emotional" one. Hmmm... I'm thinking more like this is really out of character for him. He would have to feel extremely moved before he would do something like this. That's part of why his case is appealing. Maybe he is going through a form of inner transformation as he starts to actually listen to his intuition rather than suppressing it. Maybe a gift that he needs to learn how to use responsibly. As the astrogation engineer, he is the one who feels out the ships path through the stars. Maybe he needs to figure out how to do this for his own life in general.
I really like the symbolic person. Need to think about that too. Are you thinking someone in her past (family?), or someone in the story (like the Chancellor)?
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