Test of Faith - Chapter Three

Test of Faith - Chapter Three

Fortress Thunder Rock
Pleione
Word of Blake Protectorate
22 March, 3075


     Manei Domini Poltergeist Demi-Precentor-Delta Eisheth stood on the command deck above the primary control center of the Thunder Rock facility. Her eyes were closed, but she was listening. She was monitoring all the pertinent situations unfolding, but keeping them in the background. The Capellan raiders were fleeing. The heretics had expected far less resistance than they met, and would be returning with their tails between their legs. All business with the planetary puppet government were running smoothly, which she took note of, as she left the daily interactions with the government and population to the Protectorate Militia Precentor in charge.

     A pre-set alert notified her that a file of particular interest had been accessed. She called the file up in her mind, barely even taxing her implanted Triple Core Processor. MCCARRON, FAITH ALEXANDRA had just been registered into the detention wing of the facility. She glanced over the file to refresh her memory. Subject female, 48 years of age, hair color blonde, eye color blue, height 1.67 meters. She had been something of an athlete in her youth before injuries forced her from competition. She had trained as a mechwarrior and risen quickly to prominence, both for her career in the field and her exploits on Solaris VII. Exceptional mechwarrior skills, but a quick temper. Never married. One child, daughter, Acadia, born 3050, also a mechwarrior.

     "Precentor Eisheth, you asked to be notified when your reclamation was ready. She is being taken to a cell now" The voice, though inaudible to all the world, nevertheless she heard. Linked directly to the fortress computer network, with her mind she reached out and found the cell number where the guards were taking her newest project. She was certain that this was one of which Apollyon and even The Master himself would be proud when she was done.

     Walking silently, passing through the hallways and corridors as if she were a ghost, virtually unnoticed by the dedicated personnel around her, she made her way quickly, but not hurriedly, to the detention wing. While security in the facility was heavy, she was beyond the need to show identification or credentials. Those were inconveniences of the world of the frails. The ascended had no use for such mundane obstacles. They were, just as the Master's vision had sought, virtually one with the technology around them. At times, she felt almost like a god, existing on a plane above all those frail humans around her. No, not a god, she reminded herself, simply a servant. A servant to destiny and the will of the Master.

     As she entered the cell, she continued to use unaugmented vision. She listened carefully, and could make out the rapid beat of the woman's heart. She could smell, almost taste the adrenaline and fear of a trapped creature, though as she came to stand in front of the woman and regarded her with normal vision, she could see that Faith was doing all she could to hide and control those things that Eisheth's Manei Domini senses had allowed her to pick up on. To her credit, Faith did not struggle in any futile attempt at a show of strength. Still, Eisheth could see the anger in the woman's eyes, as if she wanted to wrest herself free of the restraints and attack Eisheth on the spot. Good, your spirit is as strong as I imagined it would be. It shall be all the more rewarding to shatter it, tear it down, and refocus it in service to the divine will of Blake and the Master.

     She drew back the hood of her robe to afford her subject a look at her. She blinked her vision over to thermal to take in the heat of the anger and fear radiating off of the restrained mechwarrior. "Faith McCarron" She paused between each word, as if sizing up the woman before her. "Tell me, Faith, do you believe in coincidence? Are events guided by the blind hand of chance, or the steady hand of fate?"

     Faith kept her gaze locked on Eisheth. "What I know is that if by chance, you released me from this chair, I would kick your little cyborg ass."

     Eisheth smiled genuinely, and began to pace out a slow circle around her prisoner. "Your vitriol is unnecessary. I am not your enemy.

     Faith scoffed in response. "Am I supposed to sing Kumbaya before you start torturing me or something?"

     Eisheth continued her walk. Faith's heart rate remained high, in spite of her bravado. "I am not your jailer, your interrogator, or your torturer. I am here as your guide."

     "Well I hope you brought your 'A' game, because you're going to need it if you want anything out of me."

     Eisheth stopped her pacing, stepped towards Faith, and put her hand gently on the woman's shoulder. "I'm not asking anything of you. I'm not going to try to pry any precious secrets from you. I am not here for your interrogation, I am here for your reclamation."

     Faith looked away for a moment. "Is that some kind of code word for turning me into one of your zombies?"

     "Faith....it is a lovely name. And so fitting for our work here. Deep down, you and I want the same thing. We want humanity united in peace across the stars. That is the true vision of Blake's words. What I have is faith in those words, and in the Master's vision for bringing them about." She paused for a moment. "We all come to our faith in different ways. I grew up in what you callously would call the Chaos March. Governments abandoned me, nobles abandoned me, all the false institutions that heretics rely on abandoned me. But when my mother gave me over to the order as a child, she gave me the greatest gift she possibly could have. For when I joined the order, my eyes were opened to the uselessness of all of those things on the outside, the Marches and Commonalities and nobles and House Lords. We can only be lifted up by vision, true vision, and it has been there for us all along, since the sainted Blake laid it out in his Word."

     Faith struggled for the first time against her bonds. "Yeah well you have a funny way of showing it, sister. I fight for the Confederation, for my home. I've got nothing in common with you and your band of crazies.

     Eisheth continued to smile, "I asked earlier if you believe in chance or in fate. The reason I asked, is that because when your band of raiders touched down, we quickly identified your unit, and from the mechs, the likely roster. I looked it over, and none of the people stood out, none but you. You were the one that struck me as worthy of reclamation, and now, here you sit. I do not believe in coincidence."

     Faith shook her head. "You keep using that word, 'reclamation', you're not going to brainwash me."

     Eisheth took a deep breath. She still does not understand. "As I said before, we all come to our faith in different ways. I discovered mine of my own volition, through years of study. Yours is buried deep inside you. You know the wisdom of Blake's words, and that they are humanity's greatest hope. But all your life you have been trained to ignore it. You have been coerced by corrupt, impure systems and monarchs. You have built up walls and defenses to keep the truth locked away, so that you can go on pretending and living the farce that petty house lords would have you live. But now you are here, and guided by the wisdom of the Master and the blessed Apollyon, I will be your guide as we tear down those walls, shatter the false belief systems you have been shackled to, and open your eyes. You have many skills and talents, and when we have revealed your inner truth, they will be put to glorious use in serving the will of the Master."

     Faith started to laugh. "You are off your rocker, sister. If you expect me to believe any of that garbage, you have another thing coming. I'm not going to serve you or your crackpot master, and I'm not going to break, so you might as well kill me now."

     Eisheth caressed Faith's cheek softly. "I have no desire to kill you. And you will only be broken so far as it is necessary for you to be rebuilt and reborn."

     Faith pulled her head away at Eisheth's touch. "So I should just sit back, relax, and it's all going to be fine, right?"

     In her mind, Eisheth called up a file image of Faith's daughter. "You are going to be reborn, Faith. You are a mother, you know that with any birth there is pain. The same must be true here. But I can promise you that the reward will be far in excess of the burden."

     Eisheth reached into her robes and removed a syringe from an inner pocket. She removed the seal cap and gently pushed the needle into Faith's arm. "I must go, for a time. When I return, we shall begin the process of peeling back the barriers to your enlightenment."

     With that, she walked away and left the cell. As the door slid shut behind her, she activated the release for the restraints binding Faith to the chair. The drug she had just administered would take 12 hours to run it's full course. In the meantime, she would meditate on the great task of reclamation set before her.