back to Locke. “Good. What is it? Partners?”
“Sorry, you by yourself again and I’m with Pearl and Clyde.” “Damn,
is he trying to get me killed. My last five missions have been
solo…what’s the job?” asked Locke taking the second to last drink
still left in the bottle. “Your doing reconnaissance in Pan’dier
for information on the Empire’s next target, but no rescuing or
getting involved with the town.,, you know, stealth. He wants you
to be a ghost basically. Apparently, it’s crawling with imperials
including a couple lieutenants and a general maybe. Sound good?”
“Not really.” “You have to enter through the sewers.” “Come on!!!
Geez. I hate that man so much.” “But fear not, you don’t have to
sneak in till after sun up, so…bottoms up!” said Ray dumping the
bottle upside down into his mouth. Locke smiled; Ray was one of his
oldest friends and good at cheering him up. Locke watched as he saw
Terra and Ruthie walked through the dining room into the closed
door marked ‘Returners’ on the other end of the room leading to
Smith.
“Wow, if I was Locke I’d hate him too,” said
Terra as they walked past the dining tables talking of Smith and
Locke’s history. “Yeah, but he is in charge, right?” Said Ruthie
rhetorically. After opening the door, Terra saw yet another long
hallway with four doors on the left and three doors on the right as
well as a door that stood alone at the end of the hallway before
the corridor took a right turn. They walked to the door and Ruthie
looked at Terra, “Here ya go,” she said patting her on the back,
“See ya later.” Ruthie walked back down the hall and through the
door from whence they came leading back to the dining area. Terra
took a deep breath and entered Smith’s chambers expecting the
worst.
She closed the door behind
her and saw the old man sitting to the desk in the center of the
room; on the desk was a clean, brand new blue bandana folded in a
triangle. “Have a seat miss Terra,” he said motioning to the wooden
chair with no padding that sat across from him. She humored him and
sat down atop the back of her skirt, crossing her legs. Both of
them were quiet for several seconds before Smith spoke the first
word. “Tell me, what do you know of the Empire and the Returners?”
asked Smith. She sat there thinking; she didn’t know much about
either of them seeing as how she spent half of her life on the
southern part of the continent before it was overrun by imperials
and the other half of her life alone in a cabin by the pond away
from all civilization. “Umm, well, the Empire is this continent’s
government, right? They handle bandits and lawbreakers and collect
money for the taxes and various debts. And, uh, well…” she paused,
everything she had heard about the Returners was negative and
insulting so she had to make it sound like hearsay, “I have
heard…um, rumors…that the Returners are kinda…vigilantes…rebels
that want to bring down the government and revert us back to the
Stone Age. Their against the advancement of civilization.” “Wow,”
exhaled Smith, “Sounds like an imperial flier. The truth is; they
break the laws at their pleasure, accuse people of being bandits so
they have someone to blame, and they don’t ‘collect’ money, they
take it whenever they please. As for our group: the Returners seek
the liberalization of the communities from the Empire. We want this
to be a peaceful land once again, like when I was a child, by
ridding it of the tyranny of the imperials. What you have heard is
propaganda to cover the truth; go to any town on this continent and
you’ll see the truth for yourself. Rapes, murders, towns being
stripped of all their resources to feed the fascists. Children
being abducted at a very young age to be trained as an imperial
soldier. If it weren’t for propaganda, there would be no Empire.
The people of this land are told what to believe and how to think
and feel. And if
“Sorry, you by yourself again and I’m with Pearl and Clyde.” “Damn,
is he trying to get me killed. My last five missions have been
solo…what’s the job?” asked Locke taking the second to last drink
still left in the bottle. “Your doing reconnaissance in Pan’dier
for information on the Empire’s next target, but no rescuing or
getting involved with the town.,, you know, stealth. He wants you
to be a ghost basically. Apparently, it’s crawling with imperials
including a couple lieutenants and a general maybe. Sound good?”
“Not really.” “You have to enter through the sewers.” “Come on!!!
Geez. I hate that man so much.” “But fear not, you don’t have to
sneak in till after sun up, so…bottoms up!” said Ray dumping the
bottle upside down into his mouth. Locke smiled; Ray was one of his
oldest friends and good at cheering him up. Locke watched as he saw
Terra and Ruthie walked through the dining room into the closed
door marked ‘Returners’ on the other end of the room leading to
Smith.
“Wow, if I was Locke I’d hate him too,” said
Terra as they walked past the dining tables talking of Smith and
Locke’s history. “Yeah, but he is in charge, right?” Said Ruthie
rhetorically. After opening the door, Terra saw yet another long
hallway with four doors on the left and three doors on the right as
well as a door that stood alone at the end of the hallway before
the corridor took a right turn. They walked to the door and Ruthie
looked at Terra, “Here ya go,” she said patting her on the back,
“See ya later.” Ruthie walked back down the hall and through the
door from whence they came leading back to the dining area. Terra
took a deep breath and entered Smith’s chambers expecting the
worst.
She closed the door behind
her and saw the old man sitting to the desk in the center of the
room; on the desk was a clean, brand new blue bandana folded in a
triangle. “Have a seat miss Terra,” he said motioning to the wooden
chair with no padding that sat across from him. She humored him and
sat down atop the back of her skirt, crossing her legs. Both of
them were quiet for several seconds before Smith spoke the first
word. “Tell me, what do you know of the Empire and the Returners?”
asked Smith. She sat there thinking; she didn’t know much about
either of them seeing as how she spent half of her life on the
southern part of the continent before it was overrun by imperials
and the other half of her life alone in a cabin by the pond away
from all civilization. “Umm, well, the Empire is this continent’s
government, right? They handle bandits and lawbreakers and collect
money for the taxes and various debts. And, uh, well…” she paused,
everything she had heard about the Returners was negative and
insulting so she had to make it sound like hearsay, “I have
heard…um, rumors…that the Returners are kinda…vigilantes…rebels
that want to bring down the government and revert us back to the
Stone Age. Their against the advancement of civilization.” “Wow,”
exhaled Smith, “Sounds like an imperial flier. The truth is; they
break the laws at their pleasure, accuse people of being bandits so
they have someone to blame, and they don’t ‘collect’ money, they
take it whenever they please. As for our group: the Returners seek
the liberalization of the communities from the Empire. We want this
to be a peaceful land once again, like when I was a child, by
ridding it of the tyranny of the imperials. What you have heard is
propaganda to cover the truth; go to any town on this continent and
you’ll see the truth for yourself. Rapes, murders, towns being
stripped of all their resources to feed the fascists. Children
being abducted at a very young age to be trained as an imperial
soldier. If it weren’t for propaganda, there would be no Empire.
The people of this land are told what to believe and how to think
and feel. And if
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