Synth

Gyrini leaned forward at her desk, watching the security footage of the synth ship sitting idle on the landing platform in the center of Okoia for the 4th time. The first time she watched it she filtered the footage so the system only placed times when activity had occurred at the ship. There had been a refuel order at one point which was odd, but she had no reason or authority to stop that. Aside from the unexpected fuel delivery, most of the activity had been security making their rounds, other drones, or the odd pest that triggered the motion sensors.

After that, she had played the recording in full at twenty times speed, then at ten times speed. Still, she saw nothing. Despite the fact that the ship, filled with insurgents and hostages, was now gone, she still had to figure out how they had done this. How had they filled the ship with synths, former ministers, and indebted hostages without being seen? She must have missed something despite the fact that she initiated constant surveillance the moment that synth, Ark-87, arrived at the ship that day they met!

Of course, her intention then was to watch that synth but the synth had escaped her somehow. Watching the ship in case they returned seemed like a reasonable plan.

As she watched the sunset on the screen at five times speed, she clenched her fist, her mandibles clenching together as her antennae shivered. How had they gotten away from her? She checked the footage from the tube, searching for some sign of the two synths, and there was nothing! It was only a pure lack of manpower that kept her from shutting down the entire tube system and searching every inch of the thing!

She still wished she could do that, even now. Yes, it was too late to stop anything, but she needed to know how they got past her.

Yes, they were synths, and they were supposed to be better than she was, but she couldn’t reconcile the idea that synths who might be traitors to King Decon had outsmarted her. Still, it was some balm to her frustration that she had been right in that meeting with King Decon so long ago when she suggested that the insurgents had to have someone helping them from the inside. Certainty, King Decon would view her as more than a mere civilian now, right?

A tone sounded from the door to her temporary office, a warning that someone was coming to see her. She sighed and checked the camera at the door in hopes that it wasn’t Buteo again, acting like he actually wanted to be productive. He put on a good show, but he was really just a figurehead, a symbol of Arkane’s integration to the Galactic Empire.

A figurehead that got paid too much and was given far too much power, in her opinion. She didn’t know why a planet needed to have the bloodline of former despotic rulers integrated into a modern government; wasn’t it enough that a planet new to the Galactic Kingdom had access to all the resources in that kingdom, instead of being limited to the resources linked to their own planet and surrounding moons?

It wasn’t him, thankfully; it was Liaison Lucas and a local law enforcement officer. The automatic scan of the officer’s identity through the camera was not necessary for her to recognize him as Nir, police chief of the Outer Ring. Her eyes narrowed; She recognized him because she had been the police chief in the week leading up to the day the insurgents left the planet. She knew that the insurgents must have had some kind of hideout in the Outer Ring and suspected he was perhaps working with them. If he wasn’t, she figured he had to be inept at his job, promoted through family channels or some other connections instead of based on merit. To her surprise, that hadn’t been the case. Nir had worked hard as a young officer, and rose up through the ranks before being placed in the Outer Ring, and taking over there. He hadn’t been working with the insurgents–at least not directly–and if his failure in finding the insurgents was a sign of ineptitude; he was no more inept than Gyrini herself was.

However, in recent years, let his integrity slip. While she would have loved to investigate that herself, she did have more important things to deal with. She placed a note on his file requesting an investigation and left it at that. Had Lucas done the investigation himself? Could she trust his investigation?

A few days ago, she’d have said yes. Today, she wasn’t so sure.

Gyrini pressed the button to open the door, and the two entered as Gyrini put her focus back on the video. She was almost done with this watch-through and still hadn’t found nothing. She worried she’d have to watch it in real time in order to find anything.

”Minister Gyrini.” Lucas said as he stood before her desk, one arm in a sling, the other holding his communicator. “This is police Chief Nir or the Outer Ring.”

She glanced yup briefly as Nir stood suddenly at attention, “Ma’am.” He said in brief greetings.

“At ease.” She said, glancing back at the screen. She felt no need to point out that she already knew that information; Lucas knew full well that she knew how Nir was, but the introduction was mere formality and manners, and consideration for Nir, who had never been in her direct presence before. “I am busy, so make your business brief.” She glanced at Lucas, “If this is regarding any kind of *Formalities* it can wait.”

‘Formalities’ was a little code they used between one another, referring to anything involving a third person in their presence.

“It’s not.” Lucas said, and when Gyrini looked up again, it surprised her to see that Lucas was smiling.

She paused the video and put her attention on the two. “Alright.” She said, “Then I’m guessing this is about the ongoing investigation in The Outer Ring.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” Nir said, “The insurgent base has been located. My people have secured the entrances, but we’ve not yet investigated the area fully. We wanted to consult with you on how to proceed, and -“

“Where is it?” She demanded, her voice suddenly sharp. She didn’t care about what they had chosen to do regarding procedures and the like. All she cared about right now was that they found the insurgent base.

“It’s in the old underground.” Nir said, “Apparently, there’s a hidden entrance in the sewers in the security district, and several others out in the outer ring.”

The insurgents had been hiding in the sewers? Fitting, she supposed. “How did you discover this?” She asked. Nir wouldn’t have noticed it, but Lucas saw the way her eyes narrowed, but narrowed differently than if she had been angry. When she was angry, her upper lid lowered to narrow her eyes, but in this moment, her lower lid rose to narrow her eyes. The difference was subtle, but Lucas could tell the difference between her expression of anger and the expression of frustration she wore now.

“I didn’t.” Nir admitted. “We apprehended your suspect.”

Her eyes widened, and her heart fluttered in her chest. “*No*” she said, allowing her amazement to show, “You didn’t.”

“We think it’s the one.” He said, “We found them wandering along the edge of the outer ring with one of the hostages from the Indebted center, though we believe that this hostage might have actually been an accomplice.”

She didn’t care about that, not now, anyway. The local authorities could take care of the hostage. “Bring me to them.” She said. “Show me the synth.”

======

She expected the synth to be in a holding cell, but apparently they had suffered numerous injuries and needed immediate medical attention, so they had been transported to the holding center in the security district and placed in the medical ward there. Of course, she questioned if this was the best idea. Once they arrived at the medical ward of the holding center, she found it far too open and free for her liking; too many windows, and too much natural light.

No matter how often she worked planetside, she’d never get used to all the space and light. The narrow halls of a spaceship and the hum of artificial lights were far more comfortable to her.

“They’re a synth.” She said, “And we know what they’re capable of. This one took down several officers and a special agent in the outer ring.”

Nir slowed, his long lizard-like tail swaying behind him. “Do you really think they’re synths?” He asked.

“I know they’re synths.” Gyrini said, ignoring the way Lucas was staring at her. She hadn’t told him what she learned about synths as of late, and at first she felt bad for holding that information from him. She didn’t now, not after how he acted during that awful broadcast.

“Well, at any rate…” Nir said slowly, “This one surrendered to us.”

“How did you get them to surrender?” She asked, “Or were their injuries too much for them to fight you?”

“No, ma’am.” Nir said, “They just surrendered to the first officer they saw and complied with our every request.”

They got to the room in the medical bay where the synth was staying. All the doors here locked on the outside, but this one was also flanked by two guards. They stood at attention as she approached, but said nothing.

“Let me in to see them.” She said, “Alone.”

“Is that wise?” Lucas asked, adjusting the sling over his shoulder. “I mean… they surrendered, but-“

“I can handle them.” She snapped. Even as she spoke, she patted the laser gun at her side. Her laser gun was several steps above a normal civilian gun, but not nearly as effective as a multi-gun. Still, the synth in there wouldn’t be armed, and they were injured. “Let me in.”

The guards nodded and scanned their cards simultaneously at the card reader by the door. The door silently slid opened, and Gyrini stepped into the room to confront this synth, this traitor to King Decon who slew civilian authorities and assisted the insurgency.

The synth lay in a narrow bed, bandages wrapped around their arms A nearby IV dripped various medication and fluids into the line that snaked to their arm. She was no doctor, but she recognized one bag as a strong antibiotic, and another as a nutrient supplement. Well, the latter the synth looked like it needed: they had the unmistakable look of malnutrition to them, of someone who had lost too much weight too quickly. She could see their bones more clearly, and from what she had already seen of synths, the weight loss made their eyes and ears look better.

She walked to the foot of the bed, her pace slow but firm as she prowled before them. She stopped and stood with her hands clasped behind her back. “Spread your wings.” She demanded.

The synth was silent for a moment, looking over in return for her quick examination of them, but then they did as she bid and spread out both their wings. As they did, Gyrini’s antennae dropped in disappointment. “You’re not Ark-87.” She said.

The synth laying on the bed looked up, their ears rising up suddenly, their already enormous eyes growing larger. “I indeed am not.” They said, attempting to push themself up properly on the bed. They seemed to have several wounds around their body, but their leg seemed the worse, and they winced as they shifted their leg. “But I am curious as to how you knew that.”

Gyrini looked over them again, taking their appearance in anew now that it wasn’t tinted by the disgust of presumed treachery. “I saw Ark-87 a week ago.” She said, “And I immediately identified them as the one who fought and killed several members of local law enforcement as well as a special agent.” She smirked, “You see, we caught the individual who did all that on camera and while they looked exceedingly like you, they also had a series of scars on their right wing.” Her luck in noticing that was substantial, as it might have been overlooked thanks to the lighting in tunnels, the quality of the cameras, the speed with which the synth moved. “When ‘Ark-87’ went to their ship, I was there to greet them. They had their armor on, of course, but their wings were uncovered. I saw the same scars there. Scars that you do not have.”

The synths’ wings folded once more as they lay back. “Impressive. I would not expect a civilian to notice such a thing.” They said. “Of course, I would not expect TO, apologies, the one who was formerly Ark-87, to be so careless. Today is full of surprises.”

“Yes, well.” Gyrini’s small, claw-like hands clenched, her mandibles clicking, “I could not help be born as a civilian, I can only strive to be better than the average civilian.”

“… Fascinating. Admirable.” The synth said before changing the subject, “So, since you know I am not *That* synth, you’ll see that these local authorities do not keep me locked up, I hope.” Their ears pinned back, “I’ve been locked up far too long at this point, and while this is much better than the situation I was in with the insurgents, it’s essential that I contact my superiors and inform them of what’s happened here.”

While this synth clearly wasn’t Ark-87, she didn’t know if they were one that they could trust. From the broadcast that aired, it was clear that there was more than one synth working with the insurgents. Yes, maybe this synth really did want to report to their superiors, but perhaps they had been working with the insurgents also, getting left behind at the last minute. Maybe they were only acting like a loyal synth in order to stay alive right now.

“I can, but you understand that I have to investigate the underground. The officer who brought you in said that the insurgent hideout was in the sewers, I believe.”

“Not quite. They hid in older tunnels beyond the sewers. Unfortunately, it is essential to go through the sewers to get there.” their ears flicked back, their snout wrinkling, “Disguising, but in truth it’s fitting for vermin.”

A faint twitch of her antennae, a slight smirk at the sentiment she considered earlier being echoed by a synth. “Indeed.” She said. “We will have to examine the tunnels and look for any information we can find.”

“In that case, you will want the creature I arrived with: Outis. they are the one who led me out of the tunnels. Their familiarity with the tunnel system exceeds my own at this moment.”

“The creature, I’m told, is among the indebted who escaped the tunnel system.” Gyrini said.

“From their account of things, they were brought to the tunnels against their will, and escaped before the others left.” They scoffed, “That, of course, could have been a fabrication. However, they did hear the rumor among the insurgency that King Decon was planning to eliminate life on Arkane, and they seemed to believe it. Despite that, they still choose to assist me in my escape instead of leave with the insurgents. As such, I have no reason to disbelieve them at this point.” They paused, frowning. “That is not to say that their motives were selfless. They asked two favors of me in return for helping me to escape.”

The synth before them spoke with a clear, firm voice which made her think of the large ship she had grown up on; secure and strong. It was odd to think that this creature before her was a synth though, since they seemed so much *more* in their armor. It was no surprise to her that people thought they were robots, as they seemed so much better than other civilians: Calm, confidant, and entirely loyal to King Decon. That’s what she had thought that before she met those other synths. They had not been loyal. If a synth couldn’t be loyal to the one person they were meant to be loyal to, could any being in the galaxy be entirely loyal to anything?

“Speaking of Outis, where are they?”

The Synth’s question brought her out of thoughts which had uncharacteristically drawn her attention. “In a holding cell. They had no injuries, so they were secured immediately.”

“I see. Well, when you’ve arranged things for me to leave, they must leave with me.” They frowned. “They asked for two things of me: first was for me to clear their debt, and the second was to take them off the planet. I fully intend to pay off their debt for them once I have access to King Decon’s resources once more, but in the meantime I hope you can at lease release him into my custody.”

Gyrini slowly sat down on the uncomfortable plastic chair that sat near the bed, her eyes widening slightly. “I see.” She said. “You’re giving him what he wanted?”

“I made a promise, and I intend to keep it.”

Silence fell in the room as Gyrini looked over the Synth. They looked so small on the bed, injured and diminished by malnutrition. The synth on the broadcast hadn’t looked this bad, so perhaps that was indeed a sign that they had been taken prisoner by the insurgents. She could see the sharp edge of their collarbone, the slant of their cheekbones and jawline which had been so much softer on the other synth. She didn’t know if it was because of malnutrition or not, but their eyes also seemed so much bigger.

“You are staring.” They said simply, their ears flicking out slightly, “Why?”

Gyrini’s short wings behind her fluttered briefly, a short-lived buzz sounding in the room. “It’s only recently I learned what synths actually look like.” She said, “You are not what I expected.”

“My apologies if you are disappointed. I cannot control how I appear as a synth, simply how I act.”

She nodded and got up quickly. “Yes, well,” she said as she headed to the door once more, “I will look in on your friend, Outis-“

“They are not my friend. They are my ally at best.”

“Your ally then.” She said, “I will look into their location, and then look into our next steps here to investigate the insurgents.” She sighed, “Hopefully, there is some hint as to where they went.”

She headed to the door, rushing more than she would have before.

“Before you go, a question.” The synth said. “If you do not mind.”

She stopped and slowly turned, willing her wings to stay still on her back. “I do not.” She said. “I... believe you are still loyal to King Decon, unlike those other...” she frowned, “I would not call them ‘synths’. They are not worthy of the name. What would you call them?”

“Defects.” the synth said with a snap to their voice. “My question is this; when that alert went out and that traitor announced their awful lie about King Decon’s plan for this planet, what did you think of that?”

“My thoughts were primarily around my failure at that point.” She said, “And I was racing to find a way I might redeem myself.”

“But what of the announcement itself?” they asked. “They said everyone on the planet would die. What was your opinion of that?”

Ah, that. Many had expressed their opinions on that, and many had laughed it off in the aftermath when the lie was exposed. Still, Gyrini had not been alone when that broadcast aired, and many of the security officers around her had suddenly begun planning an escape. Lucas had been with her at that time, grabbed her arm, and told her to go with them to end the blockade and hop on a ship.

It was amazing how, regardless of how much people have disappointed her up to this point in her life, they still found ways to disappoint her more. Perhaps if the disappointment hadn’t stung so badly, she’d feel a little bad for breaking his arm as she did.

“I, of course, would rather live.” She said, “And I would be lying if I said I had no fear then... But, if King Decon had actually chosen to kill all life on the planet, then I would accept my fate and die as He needed me to.”

The synth didn’t smile, not with their lips, but somehow she felt that they were happy with this answer as their ears lifted. “I am impressed.” They said, “We will work well together, Minister Gyrini.”

Despite her efforts, her wings hummed behind her back once more. “My thanks, Honored Synth.” She said, then frowned, “Apologizes, I do not know your proper assignment. I only know that you are neither Ark-87 nor Ark-88.”

“My assignment at this time is unknown.” They said, “I do not know if my superior officer knows I am alive as my personal chip was removed. However... I was required to choose a civilian name for myself when I was on assignment. Kei will do, if you like.”

Kei. it was so simple and practical, just like Kei’s method of speaking. “Thank you... Kei.” she said, “I hope in our search, we will find a hint as to where they went.”

“Ah, yes. You do not need to worry about that.” They said. They lifted one of their arms, which was bound to the bed in a long chain, and showed her what seemed to be a makeshift scrap of elastic. “This elastic has the chip of the one who was Ark-87. The data has been erased now, but I was able to look through some of it before that happened.” they looked at her, two big black eyes staring into her four eyes. “Tell me, do you know of a place called ScrapRock?”

The thought that she’d prove helpful to this synth nearly made her wings hum again. “Yes,” she said, “I do.”