Good Feelings
24 Feb 2016Jubei Himura
Feb 23, 3302I feel good... really good. I mean, I hurt, but it feels great.
No, I'm not a masochist. This pain comes from doing AGT (Accelerated Gravity Training) for the first time in years. My arms hurt, my chest hurts, and my legs feel like gelatin. However this is a good feeling. This is a feeling of life and, of improvement. I still hurt from the "small" scuffle that I had at D'Arrest Station, but I learned a valuable lesson. Even though I'm strong, there is always someone who is stronger. I thought that my regular Ansatsuken training would be sufficient, it turns out that my overall strength has lessened due to my time piloting in the black. As such, I must once again perform many of my martial arts training with the AG module.
That's not the only reason I feel good. I freed many impoverished slaves from a mining colony and delivered them to a new life on the D'Arrest station. This not only provided me the perfect cover for investigating the events surrounding the new rehabilitation colony, but I got to improve the well-being of many people and families. Illegal slavery is nothing like what being an Imperial Slave is like. As a slave, you must do your master's bidding no matter how low the demand is. Pissing off your owner is to invite death. In this horrendous way, people lose their humanity. As an Imperial Slave, one has the rule of Imperial Law forcing owners and masters to treat their i-slaves fairly, avoid violence, and degrading acts. I was lucky that my master was kind and wise. These people didn't have a choice. They were born into it or they were stolen from their families. I'm glad that I had a hand in making their lives better.
* * * * * *
beleleep beleleep
The comms light up with a call from The Chapterhouse. It's Endincite, and I bet he wants a report... or an explanation.
"A goddamn city block." he starts. I get the impression that he's not happy. "You blew up A FUCKING CITY BLOCK!?!"
"To be fair, it was in the industrial zone and there were no civilian or authority casualties." I start to explain.
"Jesus Jubei! You're supposed to be in stealth mode! As in NOT seen or goddamn heard!" a new voice chimes in. It's Noxa. "Blowing up one of the station's hidden weapons cache is not stealth!"
"A weapons cache that Neary was going to use to re-take the newly freed slaves." I say as calmly as I can. "I didn't think that would have been very 'P.C.' of him so I did something about it. Also, there is no evidence that I was there."
"The Emperor knows you were there." and another voice speaks up, Edgar Starwalker. All three scribes of The Chapterhouse are here to admonish me. "Who do you think gave us the order?"
"Why would the Emperor care about this charity?" I swallow hard. I didn't expect the Emperor herself to be involved. This puts a disturbing thought in my head about her stance on Imperial slavery as the safety-net to avoid poverty. "Arissa isn't planning on abolishing Imperial slavery, is she?"
"No. Besides the political backlash that would create, the Emperor fully believes in regulated Imperial slavery." Endincite reassured me. "She just wants to protect her sister and her sister's endeavors. If an attack was successful, it would make the Empire seem weak as well as devastate Asling."
"You did capture Neary, correct?" Noxa inquired.
"Yes. He's, uh, slightly damaged, but still alive and kickin'." I manage to smile.
"Good. The Emperor wants a full report in detail by the time you're back at Shajn." said Endincite. "And I swear to God, or Buddha, or whoever... if she's not pleased with what you have to say, I'm going to blow YOU up!"
The transmission ends and I sit back down, smiling to myself as I start to type up my report. Endincite sure was worked up. Maybe there's more to his nicknamed title then simply being a man who stands for the Emperor...