Repentence: Bloody Charity

Ashimmu-Raksha cruiser Cruor Infinitem, Khanid borderzone

Interrogation room security camera

Time index 0013, 112.07.03

The camera shows a darkened chamber, with a female figure shackled to a chair, wearing just a few rags. A tall, masked figure stands in the background.

In the foreground stands Repentence, wearing Blood Raider armour and casually spinning a blade in her hands. In the dim light, a network of bloody scars are visible over her features, shaped like tearstreaks. The woman slowly raises her head.

"...sister?"

Repentence's hand flashes out, and there is a ringing slap.

"Don't call me that. You cast me out, and I've got no fucking wish to be associated with you in any way, Charity."

Charity Tyrathlion winces.

"What do you want from me, Repentence?"

"What the fuck do you think I want? And don't call me that, either. You can call me Mistress..."

Repentence pauses, and mutters to herself for a few moments, before shaking it off and continuing, her voice a little less steady. "You're scum that doesn't deserve to say my name. And you don't deserve to have a name at all. From now on, your name is Fluffy. You know why you're here. And I know you're a pathological liar, Fluffy, so for each lie you tell me, I'll make you bleed."

Charity cowers slightly, but says nothing.

"Why are you here, Fluffy?"

"Because... you've finally gone completely insane and want to lash out at someone?"

The knife flashes out. Blood spurts from the shallow gash on Charity's arm, and she squirms, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Cute, Fluffy, and I suppose there's an a element of truth to that. But not what I'm after. Why are you here, Fluffy?"

"I... I was mean to you?"

The knife flashes again, leaving a shallow cut over the older woman's shoulder. "You dodge the fucking question again, Fluffy, and you'll suffer for it. What did you do to me? Not so long ago? What did you do that means you're no sister of mine?"

"You... you refused to come home..."

"LIAR!"

The blade lashes out once, twice, three times, leaving another trail of red each time. Abruptly Repentence's stance changes, losing its wild aggression and becoming cool, dispassionate, her voice likewise subtly altering.

"Perhaps we need to try a different tack. You know about pain, sister. You've suffered before. And you'll suffer more before the day is out, but I'm not going to break you this way. Last chance. Confess."

Charity stares. "You really are insane, aren't you? Repentence... please... we're not friends, but these are Blood Raiders..."

"Wrong answer."

She changes again, returning to her more feral countenance. "You never did get a-"

Change. Now she looks nervous, scared even, desperate. "Charity... just tell them what they want... please..."

Change. She shakes her head, clutching her forehead with a hand for a moment, then glowers at the tall, silent figure. "What the fuck are you looking at, Seth? Make yourself useful. Screw this useless freak's brains out. Probably her first time, but don't feel the need to be gentle."

The figure moves towards the squirming Charity...

Error - Data corruption. Accessing next file. Time index 0116, 112.07.03

Charity is curled up in a sobbing wreck in the corner, naked, filthy and covered in bruises. The tall figure has left, while Repentence watches disdainfully.

"If only all those poor idiots you lead around by the nose could see you now. Perhaps I'll make a copy of some of the holocam footage and publish it. What do you think? Fluffy? LOOK AT ME."

Repentence pulls Charity to her feet, pushing her against the wall. "Look at me."

Charity slowly does so.

"Why are you here, Fluffy?"

"I... I... tried to have you killed..."

Repentence pats her on the head, and she flinches violently. "Good little whore. That I knew. Really wasn't hard to figure out when I put the pieces together. You can pull stunts on most people, but not me. I know you too well, Fluffy. But you're not the type to do the dirty work. Why did you do it, and who did you sucker in to do it for you?"

"Wh-why? Are..." Charity chokes down another sob. "Are you going to go after them?"

"Fluffy?" The knife stabs into Charity's arm, and she howls. "One, you don't get to ask me questions." The knife is yanked out, and then hammers in again. "Two, you didn't call me 'Mistress'." It is withdrawn a third time, and then spikes clean through Charity's hand. "And three, you don't have the luxury of not answering my questions directly. Why did you do it, and who did it for you?"

Blood streams from the wounds, but clots abnormally quickly. Charity breathes hard, fighting down another wail of pain, then speaks hurriedly. "You... you were an embarassment... Mistress... you were ruining our name... I had to have you purified or eliminated... nothing personal... just politics..."

Change. Repentence turns away and releases her sister, letting Charity slide to the floor, and paces a little. "Ah yes. You and your politics. You loved your little games, always did. So I was in your way, which would mean... you sold me out to the inquisition. Or tried to. Evidently it didn't work out. Why?"

"I don't know, Mistress."

"I wouldn't try Cruoris' patience, sister."

Charity's eyes are confused, but she evidently doesn't dare ask for explanation. "I'm telling the truth... my contact didn't tell me anything after he took her away..."

"I suppose you wanted to keep your hands as clean as possible. Who was your contact? Which inquisitor did you bully?"

"A... a capsuleer. His name was... Math'ra. Math'ra Hiede."

Silence for a time.

Change.

"So that's why he's been so nice to me. He was feeling guilty. He must have realised you were screwing him around, and decided to not carry out his end. How sweet. Well. I guess that's it. Thank you, Fluffy." She leans down with a horrible smile. "So what do I do with you? Maybe I should just keep you as entertainment for Seth. You're kinda useless now. Only cloned blood is any good to them, y'know."

"No... no... please, don't..." Charity curls up tighter, whimpering. "Let me go..."

"Just like that? No. I'm done with you. You'll be ship's dog. Even the slaves on here will be able to do what the fuck they like with you. How's that sound? I'll even find you a collar."

"Sister... please..."

"Do not fucking call me that!" The blade lashes out, cutting a ragged line over Charity's stomach, which again clots fast.

Charity bites her lip, but holds in the scream, tears rolling down her cheeks. "If... if I can tell you something... you... you want revenge, right? Mistress? I... I know someone else... something you told me... the other you, the one that came home..."

Repentence pauses. "Who?"

"He... he nearly took your lover, the Achura, away... you left because you no longer trusted her... because she didn't protect you while he nearly killed you..."

"Who?"

"A Gallente... Pryce... Vincent Pryce..."

There is a very long silence.

"Thank you, Fluffy."

"You... you said you'd let me go..."

Repentence sighs. "I suppose I did. Of course, I didn't specify how." She slides the knife she's been using into her belt. "You two. String her up and let her bleed."

Two Blooders slink into view, pulling Charity upright, clipping her shackles to the ceiling, leaving the Khanid woman dangling. She struggles, begging wordlessly, then a knife slashes shallowly across her throat. Blood spurts, then begins flowing freely down over her body.

Repentence watches in silence. As Charity's twitching stops, she sighs gently. "Goodbye, sister."

File ends.

Interlude: Fear is a Strange Organism

Error - non-capsuleer access to file-

Overridden.

Error - password requi-

Overridden.

Holorecorder act-

Overridden. Accepting direct data input.

The view changes to show what is clearly a virtual environment; no real place could be this bizarre. There is no solid ground, just strange mist that fades the world into nothing. Light flicks through it at random in little balls, and strange shapes form and vanish. In the centre, floating, is a humanoid figure, seemingly a seamless blend of metal and flesh and less definable things. It speaks, in a quiet, feminine voice, with a noticeable Gallente accent.

Joy.

Sarcasm drips from her voice as she gestures at a passing cube, reshaping it into the form of a Tengu, then discarding it.

I have to be the hero. Me. Me, for crying out loud. I am not a hero. Not by any standard. Heroes are fundamentally dumb. It's part of their definition. You have to be stupid to go charging into hostile territory to save two people who, in the fullness of time, will simply be able to softclone out.

And yet... somehow I'm doing it. Sending out messages, organising a team... and trying to work out where the hell Morwen and Repentence are.

Another shape molds itself into a bleeding corpse before vanishing.

They're probably going to die before we can locate them. Not dead yet, apparently, but I doubt that'll last.

I'm not even sure that I care about them. I stay with them because they interest me, but do I genuinely care? Do I really care about anything?

A shape molds into a diminuitive, child-like figure, which sits cross-legged and somehow disapproving.

The question that's been following me since I tried to die.

And you can be quiet.

She pokes the sitting figure, and it explodes into mist.

I suppose I have to care about something, otherwise I might as well just not do anything... and that's just plain dull. Can't even die properly. Who'd have thought that immortality was the cure for apathy?

She laughs quietly, then goes quiet.

I really need to work things out... even if I have to get Ashley to take charge. For now, I'll have to... at least pretend to myself that I care.

I'm a good actor.

You know the thing that really annoys me about this?

The world begins to fade, and her last words are spoken in darkness.

Morwen's first words are going to be 'I told you so'.

Recording complete.