Chapter 11 – People of the Lie

I step outside of the domicile to let Ástríðr know I have completed my investigation on Fenris.
Ástríðr is standing by the two encampment modes in front of a mirror that stands just taller than her.
She is wearing the same green dress that she wore when we greeted Jarl Ivar and the Midengardians on Continent Asgard but she has added a brown animal skin around the waist.
Currently she is more focused on altering her hair style.
“Oh! Mr. Ninety you’re back. Is Fenris okay?”
“She is sleeping. The brainwave synchronization was very taxing for her. She should awaken shortly.”
“That’s good. So, what did you find out?”
“She is indeed a wolf but due to my attack on Fenris she inherited some Midengardian genetic code due to genetic entanglement.”
“Well, that seems kinda obvious.”
“Why do you think so?”
“I mean she has no reason to lie to us and she kept saying she was a wolf.”
“Your logic is sound but it did not take the other wolf-people in to account.”
“Yeah, that did throw me off when they said they had their memories but Fenris still had no memories.”
“No matter how you may feel about her, she did have memories but it would seem she was repressing them. Her last days alive were very traumatic.”
“Poor thing…er girl. So, she’s okay now, right?”
“It is uncertain how she will recover or if she will continue to repress her memories.”
“I see. Well, I’ll just have to make sure she is happy when she’s with us and comfort her if she feels bad when her memories come back.”
“That is very motherly of you.”
“Y…you think so? I was only thinking of her and how this is all a new world and a new body for her. So, I figured I could make her feel better since you know, I kinda know about being in a new place and new body.”
“Indeed, you do. I have the animals to release into the forest. I will be back briefly.”
“Okay. I’ll keep an eye on things here. I don’t think they’ll be awake anytime soon but maybe Fenris will be.”
“Thank you for your assistance.”
“No worries. Do what you need to do.”
“Computer, transport the containment to the forest village and provide me a transport pod with a repair assistance vehicle for transit as well.”
“Retrieval started and transport pod enroute, master.”
The transport arrives, I enter it and it departs for the forest village.
Once I arrive, I am greeted by Hrólfr standing by the containment.
“I did not expect to see you back so soon, Mr. Ninety. What is this thing?”
“It will be a brief visit as I am merely placing the final component for the forest to deem it complete and this device enables me to do so.”
“Oh, so that is what this is. What is the final component you speak of?”
“It is the forest animals. Their initial time here will be critical. As such I need to ask everyone here to assist me in their development and prosperity and I have other matters to attend to soon.”
“You have my word that it will be an honor to uphold this duty you have given us. It is the least we can do for this new life you have given us.”
“Now I will begin the reconstitution process.”
“I will let the others know.”
Hrólfr leaves and I begin the process of reconstituting the animals.
The reconstitution pads I had computer place throughout the forest complement the process.
I reenter the transport pod and utilize the control panel there to start the reconstitution process.
With the process started I retrieve the repair assistance vehicle and go to check the progress to ensure there are no issues during reconstitution.
Everything proceeds without issue and then I receive a message from computer.
“Master, the aquatic lifeforms you had sequestered undersea have finished their formation.”
“Understood. My inspection here has completed. Once the last of the animal life has finished forming, recall the reconstitution pads. You may also retrieve the containment unit and secure the souls of black for disposal at central command.”
“Command confirmed, master.”
I return back to transport pod and Hrólfr is waiting for me.
“Mr. Ninety, I have informed the others of your orders for us.”
“Please, it is not an order but a request.”
“We understand. You can count on us.”
“Thank you, I must depart for a while to attend to other issues that have occurred.”
“Nothing bad I hope.”
“No, but there is a mystery to solve involving some aquatic beings.”
“Are there problems with the fishes?”
“There are none currently but what I have encountered is some intelligent lifeform that is native to aquatic areas.”
“I don’t recall any people that lived in the ocean.”
“That is why I have a mystery to solve.”
“I see, I hope you can solve your mystery with no problems.”
“Thank you, I will be leaving now.”
I place the repair assistance vehicle inside the storage of the transport pod and then prepare myself for travel.
“Computer, transport is ready for departure. Location is Continent Asgard, the area closest to the aquatic lifeforms.”
“Command confirmed, master. Retrieval commencing.”
The transport pod departs Continent Midheim and then after a brief moment I arrive at Continent Asgard.
I retrieve the repair assistance vehicle from the storage and configure it to exosuit mode.
Once I enter the exosuit mode I again step off the tall cliff edge of Continent Asgard and slow my decent using my thrusters until I am standing on top of the water.
I turn the thrusters off, prepare the exosuit for underwater mode and begin my decent towards the containment area housing the aquatic lifeforms.
The containment area begins to come in to view and I can see some of the aquatic lifeforms moving around.
There appears to be two distinctive humanoid creatures inside.
One is a very translucent type of humanoid being with a large dome like shape with small tendrils dangling off it and is emitting a slight glow that sometimes masks its internal organs.
The second type is a humanoid version of the creature that Kraken was based off of.
Ástríðr called Kraken a squid and they seem to be similar in appearance to those.
I reach the oceans floor and reach the containment area.
“Computer, analyze the aquatic beings inside the containment area and cross reference with any known lifeforms from catalogued planetary beings.”
“Command confirmed, master.”
I begin to approach the entrance and the lifeforms flee to the far end of containment area as if they were escaping in fear of me.
“Master, my search returned that these are beings from the Planet Desuigo.”
“Your findings are interesting. Was Planet Desuigo impacted by the Raganrog?”
“Planet Desuigo was not in any pathway of the Raganrog at any time, master.”
The mystery as to how they ended up here deepens.
I open the door to the containment area and the aquatic beings continue to cower in the far end of the area.
“Computer, is the language of these beings catalogued as well?”
“The languages of Planet Desuigo have been documented, master.”
“Understood. Recall languages for planet Planet Desuigo.”
“Command confirmed. Transmitting data, master.”
I begin to slowly move toward them with my hands out in a nonthreatening pose.
“I mean you no harm.” I say in one of the languages that are native to Planet Desuigo.
One of the transparent aquatic beings steps forward a little from the group and speaks.
“You lied to us before and you are lying to us now, Lækni X!”
“Lækni X? Did he look similar to me?”
“We will not fall for your lies anymore.”
“I assure you, I am not Lækni X. I am Environmental Repair Cyborg Vitan Mark 90. I was the one responsible for freeing you from being amalgamated with Kraken.”
“We still do not believe or trust your words.”
Our dialogue it seems, is at an impasse.
I must find a way to earn their trust but, I need to know who was it that visited Planet Desuigo and took them.
“Computer, who were the last Environmental Repair Cyborg to visit Planet Desuigo?”
“The last recorded Environmental Repair Cyborg to interact with Planet Desuigo was Vitan Mark 58 shortly before his demise, master.”
That was very long ago, much too long for Mark 58 to have been mistaken for my armor and exosuit designs.
The Desuigons must have been abducted more recently.
I must reengage and try to coax more details from them.
With the Desuigons continuing to gather at the far end of the containment area, I slowly make my back to them.
“Please, I will not ask you to do anything for me but, I would like to hear your story even if you do not believe I am not Lækni X.”
“If all you want to do now is listen, we will talk but our suspicions have not been averted.”
I go over to the entrance again and then I submit a reconfiguration to computer.
“Computer, reconfigure a minimal suit around my armor so that I can withstand the aquatic environment.”
“Command confirmed, master.”
With the configuration made, I exit the exosuit and return to the Desuigons.
“I felt that being fully armed would hamper any dialogue we may have as well as impede any possible trust I am attempting to earn from you. I am ready to hear your tale.”
“My name is Agnanri. Our world had been at peace for a very long time. The war between us and the land dwellers had been ended.”
“If my knowledge is correct Planet Desuigo is a majority aquatic planet.”
“Yes, it is. Our peace was barely started when someone arrived calling themself Environmental Repair Cyborg Vitan 58. He told us that he arrived to survey damage and environmental impact caused by a being called Raganrog. He also said that he was cataloging lifeforms, languages and cultures of those planets that were and weren’t impacted by the creature.”
“That is the primary mission of all Environmental Repair Cyborgs.”
“This Mark 58 left and time went on. Eventually our peace with the land dwellers started to fall apart. Then one day another Environmental Repair Cyborg arrived calling himself Environmental Repair Cyborg Lækni X came to visit. As our previous interaction with Mark 58 was peaceful we assumed his intentions were as well.”
“I see. It is understandable that you could assume so. Our missions by nature are mostly peaceful unless provoked.”
“This Lækni X’s intentions were not peaceful at all. He used our fracturing peace with the land dwellers to trick us. He stated that the land dwellers had created a new weapon capable of selectively killing us and leaving all other life undisturbed.”
“I sense that you are about to divulge the deception.”
“Yes, the weapon was not made by the land dwellers but made and used by Lækni X himself. Large beams of light filled the ocean and our bodies were ripped apart in what felt like death but we still had our consciousness.”
“I would posit that the next events to happen was that you and your fellow Desuigons were collected, brought here and merged into the being called Kraken.”
“That may be what happened. Our memories afterwards are very vague.”
“I would like to reiterate that I had nothing to do with the incident and would like to offer you a consolation. A choice you and your fellow Desuigons can decide upon and provide me with an answer at a later date.”
“What is this offer you would give us and where is this place?”
“Allow me to answer your second question first. This is one such planet that was devastated by the Raganrog called Planet Midengard. As you can see the oceans are devoid of life as I have yet to start the reconstitution process in the oceans.”
“I see. That would probably explain the stale taste in the water here. What of this offer you are extending us?”
“I will be unable to return you to your home world at this time. As such I will leave it to you and your fellow to decide if you wish to stay and reside in the oceans here on Planet Midengard or if you would want me to return you once my mission is finished here.”
“That seems good but what will be able to do for sustenance?”
“Ah, that will not be a problem. Regardless of what decision you eventually make, I will provide you with domiciles and a limited stock of food while the aquatic life is being repopulated.”
Agnanri moves over to the other Desuigons and begins relaying our conversation.
After some time Agnanri returns.
“I have discussed what you have told me and that is very generous of you. We are very sorry we mistook you for Lækni X and hope you will forgive us for mistaking you.”
“It is not an issue. Given my appearance appears to be similar to Lækni X it is understandable.”
I interview all the Desuigons and document their testimonies as well as what their living domiciles typically appear as and what food they consume.
With the repair assistance vehicle in encampment mode, I submit the plans for the Desuigons’ village and have computer begin the construction and reconstitution of the oceans.
I meet up with Agnanri and let them know that I must take my leave to check in on Ástríðr and Fenris as well the village on Continent Midheim.
“I understand. Thank you. You have done much for us.”
“It is no problem. I will return to oversee the status here and address any issues you may have.”
“We will bid you a safe journey.”
With our interaction finished I leave the containment area to return to the village where Ástríðr and Fenris await my return.