[Intaki One-Shot]
“Misunderstandings are commonplace when it comes to me and my kind… We have obtained knowledge that liberates our spirit in a way that terrifies those that can’t comprehend it… Be it they simply lack perspective, or they harbor such intense disgust that it prevents them from even trying . The former are harmless, where the latter is an insidious force that has been a bane of my people’s existence. I will not cry foul about discrimination because I think we’re too massive, too essential to be discriminated against! The Intaki and our ways cannot be denied, yet there are those that are so bigoted, uncaring that will more than happily toss us under the freighter and inflict misery onto us if given the opportunity… Now what terrifies me? Is that some of those people… Some of them are in positions of power…”
- Daran Grigroves
“No, I am their child.”
November 14th YC 124
Intaki Prime - Northern hemisphere, commandeered Intaki Militia outpost
“So Captain Daran… Can I ask you something personal? A-And I don’t want you to look at this as one FIO spook to a Jarhead. Rather two Federal loving - tax paying - private citizens -having a chat.”
“I don’t consider this the appropriate place or time for such conversations, Agent Raf.”
“Just call me Raf! Please! Hey, can I just call you Daran?”
“No.”
“Daran it is! Cool man, now I’m just gonna ahead and ask my question because I can’t help myself - You’re one of those reborn types, right?”
“…”
"…Right?’
“One… Of those ‘Reborn types’?”
“Yeah-Yeah-Yeah, I read in your file that you’re one of them Intaki that got brain wiped as a kid and now you’re like… Mimicking the mannerisms of the person that did this to you?”
“… No.”
“You’re not-”
“-If you’re asking am I someone that has been rebirthed into this world… Yes. This is my third life. What YOU’RE saying is some ill informed and malicious misconception that I am far from.”
“… Relax man, I’m just curious.”
“I’m not your ‘Man’… Disregard my rank if you insist. You WILL address me by my name at a minimum… And if you’re so curious, you can read all about me in this ‘file’ you have…”
“Look, as much as it’s my job to invade the privacy of both you and your entire unit with a surveillance network that gave the Jove a run for their money… . I like to learn about people face-to-face and not through a wall of text on a screen or slip of paper. You know?”
“… Sure.”
“… So wanna tell me more?”
“I don’t know, what did my ‘file’ tell you already?”
“Well, you were a politician in your first life, no? Like… Here.”
“Yes, I was one of the many Intaki that served the Assembly.”
“Do you… Got any memories or whatever from that time?”
“No, I do not possess memories from these lifetimes. Only my spirit and personality traits.”
“Personality being this stoic hardass that won’t cut loose for five seconds?”
“No, in my first life I was a bit more impulsive as I’ve come to learn. Passionate about what I believed in - I was a fiery woman that pushed fiercely for the causes I’ve believed in… Getting into trouble a few times with both colleagues and media at times, but I ultimately served the Assembly with distinction and honor before I reached the end of that cycle.”
“And you just came back to life and started doing it all again…?”
“No… In my second life, I was a more meek fellow. I couldn’t get back into politics like I did in my first life… just didn’t have the confidence I did before to stand in front of a crowd. More reclusive, more shy to the unfamiliar… I was still very astute and still capable of connecting with people’s problems like I did before. Found a place in the Assembly as an advisor to some of my older colleagues in their final years. Then helped bring up the newer generation of leaders.”
“And now you’re a jarhead marine? How’d you end up here?”
"… In this lifetime I just don’t have the interest for politics anymore. This form was far more endurable and athletic. Had a Lack of interest in academics and felt more alive going outside running a mile or playing sports… Turns out I was perfect for the militia and joined up and served a few years until I got an offer from the Federal Marines… I still had leadership qualities, I was very capable of learning multiple languages and thus was promising officer material. Had a bit of wanderlust in me so… Here we are.”
“And you’re fine with that? I mean… I know we can do blood transfusions in the field, but you got some priests around here or something to do this… Spirit transfusion ■■■■ when you’re bleeding out in the field because you just got your ■■■■■■■ armed shot off and mangled by a machine gun? You know, just dying in a foxhole and you got robed dudes waggling their fingers over you and some newborn?”
"… No, I Don’t. And for the record, I am reborn through the assistance of technology and not… ‘Finger wagging’ as you put it… Which you also seem terribly informed on.”
“Really? Kinda takes away the whole spiritual angle when you tell me “Oh a computer helped me”… Comes off as being more legit when it’s some ominous monks singing from the throat with essence burning all over.”
“I don’t expect you to understand…”
“I don’t expect it either, to be completely blunt with you Daran, I think this is all some weird ■■■■.”
“Of course you do.”
“Like… Who the ■■■■ even provides the child? Y’all just kidnap one or is it the first born in the village?”
“No… To speak directly of my experience, in my second life I was dying of a terminal illness, A younger gentleman serving the assembly that I tutored for the remaining years of my life came to me on my deathbed with their wife. She was pregnant, expected to go into labor soon. They offered the child for me to be reborn though and I accepted…”
“… So they just gave up their child to you?”
“No, I am their child.”
“…You lost me.”
“That’s expected… They did not GIVE UP their child… I became their child and I look to both of them as my parents in this life… That same woman who was at my deathbed, is my mother today. As much as that man I mentored is now my father… THEY brought me back into this world and I am eternally grateful.”
“… What about your parents before?”
“Dead. Long gone and were my parents for those lives… I have no memories of them, just what surface level information I revealed publicly in my past lives.”
“So you feel nothing about them?”
“Not that, just I should devote my love and loyalty to the people that birthed me for this life and not the ones that already gave me a life I saw to the end.”
“… So do you not see it as some weird kink ■■■■ to have to call the person you tutored as an old man your daddy?”
“… Are we done here Agent Raf?”
“No actually, I have something important to run past you… Job related! See, contrary to what you may believe, I’ve done a fair amount of investigation into your unit since I got here and I made some… Concerning discoveries to say the least.”
“And you thought to waste my time with antagonistic small talk before bringing this up?”
“Yes.”
“Are you a moron?”
“Depends on how I’m feeling.”
“… Please. What have you discovered…?”
“The fighting position in Sector Z34. Bunker we commandeered from the Intaki militia had a small armory inside of it with a modest stockpile of weapons and munitions. Locally produced weapons to solely be used by the Intaki Militia, not standard issue equipment for us. Now, we didn’t think to throw it all away and just moved our stuff in alongside it… However, we’re already starting to see signs of those weapons turning up missing all of a sudden.”
“…”
“Was nothing major at first… A rifle here or there that likely just got pitched by some yokel who wants to send it home to shoot Quafe cans in their backyard with. Then all of a sudden explosives start disappearing… Now they’re getting bold and probably don’t think we’re paying attention just because we aren’t using it over our own equipment. Problem for them is that we got the inventories of all these armories on file already, we know precisely what should be in those armories…”
“Do we have a suspect?”
"You’re going to help me narrow that down! See, I’ve gone over all your post rotations you’ve handed down to your platoons since you’ve been stationed out here and I’ve noticed a pattern… It seems the bunker in sector Z34 has never not had a squad of Intaki ethnicity posted there. See, Every other post has had a healthy rotation of other squads of Gallente or Ni-Kuuni ethnicity, Intaki dominant ones included. Z34? Only the Intaki squads… Funny, right? I’m hoping you could give me some insight on why this is because… < Chuckle > You handed down the orders after all! Didn’t you?”
“… Are you implying I’m involved in this theft?”
“Theft? Ooooooh, this is far bigger than theft Daran. Bigger than that ■■■■■■■ tax-payer funded Moros-Class Dreadnaught hanging above us… Nah-Nah-Nah theft is just a step towards the bigger problem… Let me ask a direct question, you consider your people a bunch of prideful bastards, right?”
“No-”
“-Yes! Correct! I’m 100% on that! Thank you Daran! You Intaki are some of the most prideful cocksuckers in this cluster… Second to the Amarrians if you ask me… And when there’s pride, there comes an insurgency. Morons who look up at us in fear for ■■■■■■■… Dragging their asses along to a more hopeful future. Start crying and screaming about how we’re trampling on their rights and start firebombing ■■■■■■■ laundromats with explosives they got off of US all in some act to show their displeasure for actual progress… Nah, you guys just want it YOUR way with your little pissant Assembly so you can keep brainwashing babies to act like dying old men…”
“…My people don’t hold hatred towards the notion of being with the Federation. Only concerns. Concerns that are not addressed with the anchoring of warships in orbits of our worlds and the marching of troops on our soil. The Intaki have done far too much for the Federation both culturally and economically to just be trampled on like this! Call it pride, but people here deserve far more respect than this! Entire generations worth of progress with the Assembly to join the Federation on our terms just… Throw down the shitter! Like that!”
“So you have some… Complaints? About current events?”
“… Complaints that are unwise to reveal further while in uniform.”
“You know, I had a reason to ask about your background as a politician…. Wasn’t just to piss you off, see… Like you confirmed with me already - You got into a lot of trouble with your colleagues and the media because you were a firebrand! Always talking about Federal imperialism this and Federal imperialism that and overall just… Delaying the inevitable. You became VERY popular with the kind of prideful bastards that we’re worried about today…”
“…”
“You do… Acknowledge the actions in that life as yours, right?”
“… I Do.”
“And that man you tutored and you call daddy now… He’s smoking the same ■■■■ you were on in the first life! You don’t think I see the connection here with you holding an advisory rode? You still rode that independence fedoshit… Supporting and propping up these stupid ass pricks going up in front of a camera right now condemning us for ■■■■■■■ taking you people out of the warzone and bringing you in… You know, like you guys were always trying to do… RIGHT? Join us?! That’s what you people were dragging your ■■■■■■■ heels for this whole time to do!.. That’s you, right? For two god damn lifetimes you were one of these clowns just dragging your heels and holding everything back… That you? Not some… Other person? You did this ■■■■?”
“…Yes”
“In that case I can’t help but see some concern here…”
< Daran taking a deep breath >
“…Are you questioning my loyalty? You think I’m arming insurgents? For what? Because of my past lives ? I acknowledge everything I’ve done in this world, be it as a woman or a man - Everything you’ve brought up is accurate and I accept fully as MY actions today despite your malicious framing…. That said, after three lifetimes I’ve come to terms with things I’ve advocated for in my first two lives, I acknowledge I was foolish on some matters and demonized the Federation unfairly… While I still have my gripes today, My service to Federal Armed Forces should be evidence of dedication to my new views of the Federation and how I acknowledge the benefit it offers my people… ”
“Well you still haven’t explained this odd pattern in the postings for sector Z34…”
“Simple…. The fighting position in sector Z34 overlooks a site that was bombarded by Capsuleers years back in some degenerate tournament of theirs to kill as many mercenaries waging skirmishes in the backcountry…A mockery of the cycle of life and death that has scared our world with unnecessary destruction and violence…I can’t expect the other squads to understand, this world is just another planet to them. To my kin however, I need them posted there so they can see the damage done here… To see the abuse our world has gone though See the craters created by soulless monsters who have no concern for our home and see how it has healed. How nature had reclaimed the land like nothing happened… It troubles these kids to have to be posted out here under these conditions. I would be lying If I said it didn’t trouble me either… So yes, I had our Intaki squads posted out there for a reason, so they can see this damage and understand that this too will pass…Such is the way.”
“…”
“If anyone in this company is stealing weapons and arming insurgents, I will be the very first to demand they be court-martialed. I will take this report deadly serious and crack down on this theft the moment you leave this room…The only crime I will confess to here today is that I showed favoritism towards those of my kin under my command and gave extra care towards their morale and well being as they try and process everything that is happening to their homeworld. That said, Our loyalty is to our duty. We serve the Federation and will protect it’s people and its worlds…Not the Assembly.”
“… Alright then.”
“Are we done here now? Agent Raf?”
“… Yeah, I don’t got much else to say… Moving forward, we’ll be keeping those squads under surveillance… EXTRA surveillance rather. I advice you diversify sector Z34 with different squads-”
“-You will not advise me on what I do with my troops.”
“Just saying! Look less suspicious on paper that way…”
“…”
“We’re done here though Daran, thank you for your time-”
“-You’re disappointed…”
“What?”
“I see what this act was about… Trying to rile me up, get me flustered so I slip up and incriminate myself. Don’t think I don’t understand your strategy here to try and get me to confess to having a hand in your conspiracy theories.”
“Talking like I was almost successful.”
“No, I’m talking like I know you for the asshole that you are.”
“…”
“I have reports to read Agent Raf… Do you mind?”
“Right…”