Moving Towards Madness (A Ngo story by Cannonshop)

[Trace Coburn]

[[Posted 21-05-2008, 07:31:54]]

 
Melissia, October 11, 3061...

"...haven't made your position known."  Margrave Sharon Bryan commented.  Elizabeth Ngo folded her hands, and watched as the pallets transferred from the cargo-dock to the LAAF's supply trucks.

"Maybe because it's a choice between a foreigner, and an absentee landlord." Liz said dryly, "Or maybe because I think perhaps if Hanse and Melissa had spanked their children instead of indulging them, things might have been different."

"That comment could be read in a dangerous context." Bryan pointed out. 

Liz looked at her, "Lyrans died in Operation Bulldog, and Operation Serpent, and for what, Margrave? Lyran worlds remain under foreign occupation, Lyran citizens under the yoke of the scum of humanity, and our Archon chooses to live on New Avalon, playing politics there instead of fighting the enemy Here."  she scowled, "What am I supposed to think about that? Even as the Kells give aid and comfort to the enemy!"

"If Victor had not killed Melissa-" Bryan began, and Liz met her eyes with a furie's gaze.

"I asked her once, on Tharkad, why he continues running loose." Liz hissed, "she knows the truth and she insisted on doing nothing about it."  she crossed her arms, "If the Archon chooses doing nothing, that's her business, but it doesn't mean I must like it, or support it.  She has a realm here. THIS is where her people are, not New Avalon."

"Passionate, tell me, when are you going to enlist?" Bryan said, "Oh, wait, you Can't." she smiled mockingly, "You're a civilian, Elizabeth, you simply do not understand."

"Likely I don't." Liz said, ignoring the mocking provocation.  "that's the last of your shipment.  Settle up?"

Bryan signalled an aide, who brought the necessary paperwork over.  "You'll have to choose, and Elizabeth, I'd say your sympathies are closer to the Archon than to Victor."

Liz looked at her, "I despise the runt, his blundering cost me my family,  but I have little use for an absentee landlord, and less for Regent Nondi Steiner's do-nothing policies.  We should be gearing up to strike back at the enemy, not huddling behind a fortified wall, hoping they'll do themselves in."  she tossed her hair, "If you promise me a war, I'll pick up a rifle and fight that way. uniform or not.  You're as trapped in this as I am."

"You aren't sending another Mercenary unit over the line, are you?" Sharon asked coldly.

"You told me specifically not to.  You're a prime customer and my superior.  Of course not." Liz said, "I want to, but for the time being, I will be...good."

Sharon signed the reciepts with a sigh, "patience, Elizabeth.  Just keep the goods flowing.  Whether you have confidence in them or not, there is a plan."

Liz accepted the reciepts.  "Next year?" she asked, "I assume you have important work to do."

"Probably next year, though you might consider coming out of your little world more often." Sharon said, "See the universe through more than that tiny fisheye lens you've got."

"Work keeps me busy." Liz explained as a kind of apology.

[Trace Coburn]

[[Posted 21-05-2008, 08:04:56]]

 
HQ, Melissia Theatre Command...

Sharon Bryan watched the car as it made the turn-off to leave post.  Troublesome bitch. she thought casually, how nice would it be to be rid of you?  She sighed, and looked at the reciepts again.  The problem is, getting rid of you screws up the flow of low-cost supplies.  I hate needing people who have no damn clue.

She toyed briefly with moving an MTM-a loyal MTM to Kowloon, just in case Elizabeth's obvious contempt for Victor was a sham.  It was a good idea, but not as good an idea, as keeping forces in-place.  Nothing important there...well, nothing we can't do without. she decided against it, and settled for a sincere, silent, prayer that Elizabeth Ngo suffer some kind of horrible accident so that someone more in-step with how things really are could take her place.

[Trace Coburn]

[[Posted 21-05-2008, 20:46:50]]

 
Melissia Best Western/Regency, Suite 211, 20:00...
Elizabeth gave most of her security detail the night off-they'd earned it, after all, and this was the Capital of the Melissia Theater, a centre of law and well regulated, with efficient police.  A 'good' neighbourhood...the Hotel's security was well known for their efficiency in stonewalling and keeping the riff-raff out... "a quiet night in.  Go have fun."

She didn't hear anything before the door slammed inward, and two men grabbed her.

For the next eight hours, Elizabeth Ngo's men would comb the city....


[out of story] Content deleted as Not-safe-for-work.[/out of story]

Licorice Motel, Downside, Capital City, Melissia, 0430 hours...

Joe Martinez looked at the frightened proprietor, and held one finger to his lips. "Shhh." he glanced across, at Corpsman Anh Lai.

The motel clerk keyed the electronic lock, and Joe applied boot-force to the door, sending it flying inward.

His training told him there were three of them.  His pistol popped six rounds, two to the chest, one to the head on the two that weren't on-top-of her.

The third one looked up in time to get tasered by the Medic.

"Is she even alive?" He asked hollowly.

the Corpsman, a woman, examined the victim.  "Barely." she said.

He looked at the surviving perpetrator.

"You're going to talk." he told the man, "to me... and if you talk very convincingly, you'll only face a Lyran court... and if you don't, we're going to take you to Nha Tranh, where you'll stand with a spike up  your ass until you bleed to death."

"You're going to talk." he told the man, "to me... and if you talk very convincingly, you'll only face a Lyran court... and if you don't, we're going to take you to Nha Tranh, where you'll stand with a spike up your ass until you bleed to death."

  Oh...
  ... dear. 
  If this turns out to be a sanctioned operation... well, the Ngos/'Loonies practically wrote the book encyclopedia on "Payback's a bitch who just had a triple litter"....  #P

[Trace Coburn]

[[Posted 22-05-2008, 20:43:15]]

 
3061/10/20,Medical deck, MS Gloria, Melissia Spaceport...

"...pretty bad." Dr. Mai Kim stood glaring at the LAAF officer at the hatch, "Given her condition, and since she's my patient in my Sickbay, Herr Kommandant, you can bloody wait outside until I decide she can talk to people."

"Look, lady, she was attacked in My City, she's the only live witness I've got, at the least, I need her ****** statement."  Kommandant Marshall Tricherico was not going to be stonewalled by the small doctor.  "If you've got test results on her attackers, I'll be having those too."

"Why?" she asked, "You want to match the bodies or something?"

"I think there were three of them." he said, "We only found bodies for two from your people's raid, and that means there's a capital rapist, who's also a kidnapper, expert burglar, and who knows what else,  loose, in My Gottdamned city." he thundered, "SHE is the only person who can give me a description of her attackers."

The hatch opened behind the doctor, and Elizabeth's voice said, "Doctor, I'll talk to the nice policeman."

"Your grace! you should be in bed!" The doctor turned to scold, and the Officer saw his chance, scooting past her with a nod of "ma'am."


Inside the room, which took a moment for his eyes to adjust, Marshall could see two scrubby-looking Marines What else can they be? he thought, noting the ugly carbines in their hands, and the protective attitudes.

Duchess Ngo was on the bed.

He remembered his discipline, and snapped to attention.  "Your grace, you heard?" he asked.

"I had them turn the monitors onto the security channels, Kommandant.  You want me to describe them." she said, "You're also hoping the doc-my doctors, collected evidence.  You believe there is a third perpetrator."

He nodded.  "Essentially, yes, your grace." he said.

"Why?" she asked, "Why do you care?"

She reached over, and powered the bed into a full sitting position.  He could see the bruising on her skin, the pallor of it, the detox-IV's hanging from her arms. 

"I...it happened in my city, under my nose!" he said.

She nodded, "I know.  I was there." her tone was acidic and bitter, "What makes you think there were three?"

"Witnesses had three men and a drunken woman entering the, ah...hotel." he said, "There were two bodies and your team present when the Polizei arrived.  That leaves one man unaccounted for."

"Good reasons." she said, "They drugged me, Kommandant.  I didn't see any of them well enough to identify."  she sighed, "I'm sorry I can't help your investigation, but since I survived this, I did learn a valuable lesson about letting my guard down."

"But-" he started.

"as for medical evidence... the Doctor ran a standard rape-kit on me, the results and the samples will be sent by bonded courier to your crime-lab." she said seriously, "You might consider treating it as a closed case when you see the results.  Maybe a third man, maybe not-but I'm not staying, and I'm not coming back to testify at a trial."  she said quietly.

"Why?! MY GOD, they Gang raped you!!" he blurted in astonishment.

"Yeah. And in nine months, I have a new mouth to feed." she said bluntly, "If there's a third, and he turns up, he's a dead man, but no baby of mine will have a father in prison." she said, "No child of MINE is going to be the bastard of a felon, understand?"

His mind reeled.  "you could terminate-" he started.  She held up her hand.

"no, I can't." she said, "Not even if the kid's deformed.  I have my people, and they have their morals, and I can't serve them if I spit on those morals."  she tilted her head, "It's the devil's bargain of coming home to serve, you understand, right?"

"No...but...no." he shook his head, "You have any idea what..." he sighed and shook his head.

"I wish you best of luck in the rest of your investigation, Kommandant." she said, "Give my best to your commander...are we through?"

He looked at the grim little soldiers around her, felt their hostility in those inscrutable eyes, "yes...of course your grace.  May god be with you on your journey home."  he bowed, and backed out of the room.

His bowels felt like they were full of ice as he walked to the lift, and rode it down to the exit.

Just a question. Isn't it a little early to know about the pregnancy?

And if the Kommandant look about it, he'll know the third guy is dead anyway.  #P

Well, we know that Patrick is around in the universe and there had to have been a reason why he wasn't Duke while Amanda was despite being older (at least, I'm pretty sure he was always older.. #P).  Though either CS jumped the gun, or Miss Liz figured despite the tests not being done/in yet.

[out of story]

Well, I blew it and forgot the date.  A week's plenty of time to find out using 22nd century medical technologies.

[/out of story]

[Trace Coburn]

[[Posted 23-05-2008, 06:51:32]]


Kowloon, Tributary System 16 training range, 3061/10/14...

Adept Rhys moved his new Tessen through the forested area with care today.  The Kowloonese OpFor teams were getting better enough to pull some real surprises, and so far, the Tributary 16 range had started getting the nickname "Engineer Valley" for good reasons.

"Tank tracks." he alerted the rest of his Level II.  The thermal said the tracked vehicles had passed less than eight hours ago.  "Team two forward."

The Prowler MTV crawled up, and discharged infantry to sweep for mines-the 'loonie 4th Battalion had taken to using tracker's techniques in reverse, so leaving an obvious trail meant there was a 'surprise' along it...Somewhere...where did you put it?

The Com-guard infantry signalled back the 'all clear', and he stepped forward...


His damage monitors registered the explosions, a second before bright orange paint covered the upper half of his 'mech.

"What the-" he switched on the wipers.


"The Trees!"  he laughed.  They'd put the mines in the trees this time.

"Point value Ten."  Demi-Precentor Kraig's voice announced, "Whitefor Recon takes twenty percent casualties to infantry assets.  Prowler's left track is disabled. Listing armour damage to protected units now-"

his condition-status monitors flashed yellow in a number of areas. 

"Form a defensive perimeter and get that track repaired." Rhys ordered, "and hurry up, they know where we are."

"Shot inbound, ten seconds to splash."  Kraig added, and Rhys' sensors registered incoming artillery fire.

"All Infantry, get in the Vehicles, Cover, Cover, Cover!!" Rhys barked over the common channel, and then switched to the recon-data channel, reporting the trackback on the incoming shot to his Level III's, and requesting counterbattery of the artillery that was already shelling his position.

about half the shells were real-these were smoke-rounds.  The rest were "Leaflet simulators" designed to mimic HE and Frag rounds.

Rhys switched to Beagle and started scanning the area, relaying data back to the rest of his Level II.

Okay, where are you...

[Trace Coburn]

[[Posted 23-05-2008, 19:24:57]]


 
4th Battalion, company B Infantry...

Evelyn Mosovich was back in a uniform.  "First Sargeant, I believe it is time to execute our maneuver."  The forest was a thick pall of obscurant smoke.  The personnel carriers discharged their infantrymen, and formed into a loose skirmish-line, sliding past the Com-Guard recon elements and into a position to cut them off.

The Company's heavy tanks moved up at the same time, establishing the killing box just at the edge of detection range.

"Hit them."

The tanks opened up, the Carriers opened up.

the munitions were, for all intents and purposes, dummy rounds-the autocannon shot was a thin, hollow-charge filled with dye, and the missiles were similarly armed-the idea being that, against their normal targets, they would deliver unmistakeable 'hit' signatures.

Everyone, of course, wore a harness of "Sensors" for the energy-weapons, which were tuned down to a level that would merely blind unprotected eyes on a direct contact, or leave a minor burn as a reminder-on the vehicles, this was simply registered as "Hits".

Accidents, of course, happen.  A man might take a tank-scale "simulated" weapon and die, or be seriously injured by fragments, or an improperly done manuever, but the lethality, compared to actual combat, was rather lower, and the additional training for the assigned Coastie Corpsmen serving as Medics would probably stand the troops in good should they need to face the real thing.

"Second Platoon, first Platoon, advance, third platoon and weapons, flank right and left to support in bounding overwatch." She ordered.

The best part of it, of course, being that until they got close enough, any shape could be an active foe rather than an inactive 'casualty' unit.

[Trace Coburn]

[[Posted 23-05-2008, 20:13:51]]

 
MS Gloria, 22 Hours from Melissia, 21 October, 3061...

Elizabeth was on her feet today.  well, as much on my feet as I can be in microgravity.  She floated into the bridge area.  "Captain, when we hit the next port, be certain to have this message forwarded through Comstar." she said, handing him a datachit.

"It's encrypted?" the Commander of the Gloria asked.

"Very."  she said, "Destination is a re-mailer relay, the destination tags should flow through the system automatically."

"Should I even ask?" he accepted the chit.

"it's financial.'' she said, turned, and left the deck.

alone in the passage, the shadows made threatening shapes.  ignore them.  It's just the trauma.  she felt the fear anyway.

Well, Faulkner's unit still gets paid, and to hell with what I told Bryan, they're not interested. 

She stopped by a crew-area, and someone had the news on.  She watched it from the doorway without feeling, as the newsreader talked about a minor uprising against the Archon.

not my problem. Liz thought angrily, before she turned to continue to her quarters.


Inside, there was her bed, her guards, and a man strapped down to a table.

She drifted in, and floated to her prisoner.  "Oh, good, you're awake." she said, "I was afraid you'd sleep all the way home." 

He stared at her, and tried to say something over the ball-gag.

"oh, don't worry, I'm not going to let you go just yet." she said, and opened a drawer on the table, "That would be inhumane..." she paused to anchor herself to the deck, "Well, maybe not as inhumane as what I'm going to do...but I think this is going to be a Lot more fun, don't you, willy?"

He struggled against the restraints, and managed a muffled sound through the gag, eyes wide, as she laid the scalpel against his skin, and took a small cut that removed his left nipple.

"See, small bits, that the 'cyclers can handle."  She told him, "that way you don't go into shock until I'm done, and at the same time, there won't be anything left for a curious investigator to find."

she took another tiny sliver of flesh away.

The fear started to abate. Elizabeth began to feel like herself again.

Elizabeth Ngo should be tossed in the bottom of a deep well and the top cemented shut.  If the Falcons ever succeed in occupying Kowloon, the entire Ngo line needs to be Annihilated.

Yay update  My opinion of Liz's actions is that while it is still revenge rapists deserve to die in the most painful way possible 

My such outpouring of sympathy for a rapist. Fraid I can't summon much sympathy for the bastard myself.

No one would have objected if she'd just shot him herself, or had her security people arrange a suicide by hanging. Elizabeth's reaction is more than vengeance, it's an acute sadism that naturally leaves well-adjusted people distinctly uncomfortable. That's because such people are very, very dangerous. The best objection to torture like this is not that the victim doesn't deserve it, but rather than the moral hazard of performing such acts is too great for any person to escape emotional scarring. Either one regrets doing it, or even worse, one doesn't regret it at all...

We've always known Liz was crazy. Hell, just the crucifictions were enough to show what she's like. This is just her taking a more personal approach to someone who did something to her. I would not expect her to do something like this to any run of the mill rapist. Crazy people have different ideas about getting back to what they consider normal. Read the last line CS wrote. "The fear started to abate. Elizabeth began to feel like herself again."

The problem is that this kind of calculating brutality is that the next time the victim may not be objectively guilty. No ones checking Liz's decisions and she's admittedly insane. What if the next person is guilty of something that seems like a big deal to Liz, but not to overall society? Or worse what if the next person isn't guilty and Liz thinks he is?

That and I have these pictures of blood tending to do what liquids do in microgravity which is not helping my head at all.

[Trace Coburn]

[[Posted 24-05-2008, 19:39:35]]

 
Nha Tranh, Kowloon, 26 October, 3061..

"...already pretty fragile emotionally, now this."  Admiral Cho was worried, "Hell, we knew she was borderline unstable when she crucified Stone on the gates."

Lin Pak, the senior representative of the Norther Tier districts that include Camranh and the new settlement site coded 'camp Frederic', shrugged.  "I don't care if she decides she needs to eat the flesh of her enemies-she's been good for Kowloon." he said.

"what about when she isn't?"  Charles Vanh was elected by the Iron Hill subdistrict-the ranches and farms from the foothills to tributary fourteen.  "What do we do then? it isn't like we have another Ngo, and I'm not keen on some offworlder...and I remember Condit's days a little too sharply to risk that again."

"What, indeed... I don't think the planet can handle another civil war." Cho said, "And Liz has a lot of support."

"She might not be that unstable-she might be persuaded to see reason." Lin Pak said, "She's already spoken about reinstating concepts of self-government and citizenship..."

"Part of the military build-up, but there's a distance between appealing to patriotic impulses, and investing real authority in a civil government that might very well refuse to be led by the nose." Cho said.

"We can only feel her out." Charles said,  "Worse that can happen, I think, is an early break, and if she does that, well, we know."

"Your son-" Cho pointed out.

"My boy's almost ready.  We'll just have to see." Charles said.

"You're up for re-election in a few months, aren't you, chuck?" Lin asked.

"I was elected in a special election when Branulf had his heart-attack, yeah." Vanh said, "I don't expect I'll be running again-the whole areas due for a redistrict, and the Unionists will probably 'mander it so that the Grange Party's not going to have much of a seat."  He said resignedly, "We'll see."

"If you run, you'll have my vote." Cho promised.

Charles shrugged, "Won't mean much if they split the district and give two more seats to Hue." he said.

[Trace Coburn]

[[Posted 24-05-2008, 20:20:39]]

 
MS Gloria, secured quarters, Hood IV system, 30 October, 3061...

"Do you know what the real problem is, Willy?" Liz asked rhetorically.  Her rapist lay there, shuddering in agony, as she put the tools away.  "The real bitch of a problem it is, too.  I'm not unintelligent..." she powered the table to a position perpendicular to the floor.  "I was raised in a reasonably moral home.  I know exactly how ****** up what I've done to you for the last week is..."
She anchored her feet to the floor, facing him.  "The problem is, I know I shouldn't be enjoying this." she told him, "I know that it's wrong to do what I've been doing to you, but worse, it's morally indefensible to have gotten so much personal pleasure from doing it."  She checked the straps again, "You understand, right?  good people, healthy people, they don't get off on making others suffer."  she looked into the ruined eyes.  "GOOD people don't get pleasure from brutality, from just...torturing, like for fun...and believe me, Willy, I had a GREAT time." 

He managed a ragged breath.  Liz leaned close to his ear.  "You can't bottle the pleasure it gave me to do this to you." she told him, "and that's wrong."  she carefully removed the gag.  "I left your lips intact, and your tongue.  I also left you with your hearing.  Call me old fashioned, but I feel I need to gloat a bit-or make some kind of revealing monologue like the villain in a holovid...here's what you can take with you to the other side, Willy..."

"I can't afford to have this much fun.  EVER Again."   she hissed, "It's not just that it's wrong from the perspective of other people, it's that I enjoyed it.  It's toxic to like doing something that abhorrent that much."  she ran a gloved hand over exposed and blackening muscle tissue.  he flinched and mewled.  "It's a sign of Mental Illness Willy.  My people can't afford to be ruled by a bloodthirsty madwoman-look what Romano did to her realm."  she nodded to the Marines, "SO, to prevent that, I'm going to dispose of you in a relatively humane way-don't worry, you'll freeze before you suffocate, and we're far enough out that they'll never find what's left-but you can carry this with you... remember that you told me, you're the hottest date I'll ever have."

she nodded, and the Marines moved him to the airlock.

"It's time I got back to doing my job."  she whispered, as the body was flushed out the airlock.

[Trace Coburn]

[[Posted 25-05-2008, 11:35:32]]

 
Nha Tranh Spaceport, 3061/10/31...

"...said to have a ramp ready.  Let's hope it's not for the wosrt..."  Admiral Cho commented.  Speaker of the House Lin Pak shrugged agreement in his taciturn way.
Demi-Precentor Kraig was also present-invited and looking bored as the ramp alarms signalled that the gloria was finally cool enough to debark.

The ramp rolled up to the personnel door, and Landshoremen rigged it.

the first out of the ship, were three of Elizabeth's designated six Marine bodyguards.  the men moved with a tardy and embarassed alertness.  Who do I have to replace 'em? Cho wondered-the men had failed utterly in their assigned mission, and even Elizabeth's message insisting she'd personally sent them out on pass was not enough for the Admiral of Kowloon's coast-guard.

Elizabeth rolled out.  she was in a wheel chair, being escorted by a female Corpsman and the ship's doctor.

Oh, sweet jesus...they hurt her bad. Cho thought, glad that today, the 'official' return was scheduled for noon, and that a body-double from the 1st Squadron would do the waving to the cameras bit.

Mister Martinez, Elizabeth's...what should we call him? political advisor? no.  National Security expert? followed.  The marines spread further from him, than they did from her-well, no doubt I can be assured they took a hard time from HIM.

Liz rolled up to them.  "Precentor Kraig, I recieved your message." she said.

Kraig sighed, "I'm sorry it was such short notice." he told her.

"I understand, you have your superiors." she said, "Will the two-twenty-two continue with routine training excercises, or did Precentor Dow forbid that much 'extraneous contact'?" she asked.

"My orders did not expressly forbid further joint excercises." He told her, "But they strongly implied it."

She nodded, "Very well, get with mister Breland, we'll find you some areas you can conduct training ops without being disturbed.  I trust this won't impact our commercial agreements?"

"No, your grace." he said, still looking concerned.  "you-"

Liz waved it off, "I will live." she said, "I have no reasonable option BUT to live with it...we'll talk later."

She turned in her chair, "Admiral, first of all, what happened was entirely my own fault, you will not further discipline those Marines-they did a fantastic job of getting me out alive." she stated, "If necessary, I'll put that into writing and pin 'em with medals in public, understand?"  Cho nodded, not liking that one damn bit.  "I want you and Mister Martinez to go over the procedures for executive security-while it's my fault they were off station, I was able to send them off because there was no reg forbidding that.  Fix the rules, eventually we're going to have VIP's here and I don't want those getting kidnapped or assassinated because we had a hole in our procedures."

"Yes, your grace-what abou-" Liz held up her hand, "Later, Admiral, unless it's an immediate problem." liz looked at her from the chair, "We'll talk after I've had some rest...Speaker Pak."

Lin Pak bowed, "Your grace?"

"Speaker, dust off the old constitution- the one from before Kowloon was absorbed by  the Rim-Worlds, we're going to implement some, maybe all, of it in the next few months.  It occurs to me, that if someone in my position were to become unfit to rule, the Planet still needs to function, and day-to-day governance is best handled by more than one pair of hands."

"What do you have in mind?" he asked.

"There's a term-a 'constitutional Monarchy', it may be the type of structure we need.  I want to see the top men in our major political parties tomorrow at fourteen thirty sharp, along with our Minister of defense, and some representatives of the major ethnic and religious groups that can trace their roots to the first colonists.  We're going to draft a few laws, debate a few points, and have us a good, old-fashioned, Cabinet Meeting to assemble a working instrument of government-one durable enough that should the Duke become incapable of governing, there's an option that doesn't involve killing a lot of people."

Cho cleared her throat, "The military should be present." she said.

Liz looked up, and Pak looked at the Admiral with a scandalized expression.

"Agreed, Admiral.  The Coast Guard will attend." Liz said..."Oh, and yes, I'm pregnant-part of why we're doing this, is that if I take after my mother's side, the hormone levels and mood-swings could be VERY bad."  she sighed, "I would just as soon NOT have someone shot because I had the prenatal blues that day."

What's that old saying about staring into the abyss?  At least Liz is sensible enough to realize when she's in danger of becoming the abyss.  One of my friends once pointed out to me that mental illness and rationality aren't always mutually exclusive, and that's when it gets really scary.