Chapter 6: I Beg Your Pardon?

Some time had passed since our four officers (and Forge) succesfully “resolved” the Issue and, by now, EastMak's HQ finished filling in Lochen City's Police Station on the events occurred. Having done this, Lochen City's higher-ups could now discuss their next move...

“How could that even happen?” asked the Assistant Chief.

“Yes... it's... unusual to say the least.” admitted the Chief Officer.

“And where did that thing come from?” asked the Deputy.

“Wherever it came from, it's not that surprising that a habitation has such issues. They are poorly guarded.” the Chief Officer explained.

“With this issue resolved... what do we do now with Brigitte and her team?” asked the Deputy.

“Yes, what else do we have them do?” the Assistant wondered.

The Chief answered: “Well, I believed this whole 'send her far away' thing would please the Council Chamber... turns out, they aren't exactly pleased.”

An alarmed Assistant asked: “What!? What do we do now!?”

“The Council explained they didn't want her to get off-planet, they wanted us to fire her... because they had their own plans for her.” explained the Chief.

“Plans? What plans, exactly?” the Deputy asked, curious at this.

The Chief told him: “They were hoping we would fire her, so they could recruit her. They know how useful she could be.”

“So... what do we do? Do we just... call her back, take the risk and fire her?” the Assistant wondered.

“That's the thing, they aren't happy with our means... but they will accept keeping her off-planet. They explained that, with her out of Reglom, it at least 'downplays the power imbalance'.” the Chief elaborated.

“So... they're satisfied with our plan?” asked the Deputy.

“They accept our plan, but aren't pleased with it. Still, it's better than nothing and it gives us more time.” concluded the Chief of Police.

“That's a relief...” declared the Assistant Chief.

“Then what do we make them do now?” the Deputy asked.

The Assistant noted: “I'm thinking about that... foreigner. He killed that thing, he helped them.”

“Yes, very strange.” said the Deputy.

“If he helped them willingly... we could use this too.” wondered the Chief.

“What exactly do you have in mind?” asked the Assistant.

“Convicted foreigners helping nikeans? Maybe he can be more than just a brief detour...” the Chief said, thoughtful.

The Assistant Chief raised an eyebrow and wondered: “Are you saying...?”

The Chief of Police announced: “First, we need to bring this up to the Council Chamber... I have a plan... a wild one, but it's just what we need now...”

At the EastMak HQ's lobby, our four officers could only sit uneasily and wait for their calling, assuming the worst.

“We're so screwed... we're dead... or worse.” said Maroon.

“Calm down... I'm... I'm sure it'll all be well.” Ben reassured her (in vain).

Maroon just stared at him and asked: “Ya think so? How???”

“.........You're right, we are screwed...” Ben admitted, defeated.

Rob, sitting on his chair, said “What did I do... what will I do... what will they do!? No... what will we do!?”, verging on a nervous breakdown.

Fortunately for him, Brigitte herself was too stressed to scold him and could only join her friends in worry as she walked back and forth. The foul stench of anxiety filled the air, soiling any remaining outlook.

“All this stress is gonna make my makeup run...” the Nikean dressed in pink thought out loud.

Meanwhile Maroon, almost shaking, pulled out a cigarette from one of her pockets and lit it, whispering:

“Finally, I missed these...”

The distinctive smell of smoke didn't go unnoticed by Brigitte, who approached her friend.

“Maroon, you're smoking? Where did you even get that?” the Nikean-in-pink scolded, her arms crossed.

Maroon took the cigarette out of her mouth and began to respond with “...For one, I-”, before Brigitte interrupted her, saying “Did you forget already?”.

Maroon sighed, saying: “Leave me alone, you know we've got more important matters...”

“If you want people to smell you from a mile away...” said Brigitte, shaking her head.

Maroon merely blew smoke in response, before saying: “Com'on Breege... I'm not exactly at the top of my game here...”

“Your breath's just gonna give me a headache, again...” the Nikean-in-pink responded.

Ben tried to dissuade Brigitte, saying: “Brigitte... this really isn't the time...”

Suddenly, they were interrupted by one of the local officers approaching them. Trying to shield her fear, she approached first, the others being too afraid to ask.

“......What is it now?” asked Brigitte.

The local officer replied: “The Lochen City's Chief of Police is asking for you upstairs, at the Office Call Room.”

Maroon coughed in surprise, asking “Is it... bad?”, to which the man replied “We've been told nothing. Whatever news they have, you'll have to hear for yourselves.”.

Rob gulped as all four followed the officer to the Call Room.

Once there, they faced a monitor on top of a desk, from which the Lochen City Chief could be seen.

The Chief of Police began: “Congratulations, Brigitte. You and your team resolved this potentially dangerous issue.”

“Potentially?” Maroon whispered, raising an eyebrow.

“Uhhhhm, it wasn't too hard...” Brigitte replied, trying to avoid the obvious subject, with Maroon mouthing “It wasn't too hard!?”.

The Deputy's voice could be heard, saying: “We heard about this convicted foreigner helping you... at the heat of the moment.”

“W-Well... ab-about that-” a nervous Brigitte tried to explain, before being interrupted by Rob:

“That... was my idea... I released him, I thought we needed help... they weren't involved in it...”

The other three looked worryingly at him, with Maroon shaking her head, trying to dissuade him.

“Hhhhm, I see... In that case... you made a bold but astute choice.” the Chief of Police declared.

“What!?” exclaimed all four nikeans in unison.

“In such a situation, one must be resourceful, making strong decisions on the fly. That's respectable.” added the Assistant.

“How... I mean...?” Brigitte tried to say, confounded.

“I congratulate you all for your resourcefulness and helpfulness. But this situation with the foreigner is of interest.” continued the Chief.

The Deputy commented: “Of note, this foreigner not only willingly helped you, but also ultimately avoided anymore deaths.”

Ben tried to say: “Well... granted, at the moment there wasn't-”

“It's a unusual situation. One that can't simply be brushed away.” interrupted the Chief.

The Nikean dressed in pink, alarmed, asked: “Could you... be more specific?”

“It's unusual in that the foreigner showed capability and helpfulness, saving the lives of many.” explained the Assistant.

“Not exactly many...” pointed out Ben, skeptical.

“Therefore, due to these extraordinary circumstances, the Court and the Council Chamber have decided this convicted foreigner... is eligible to be given amnesty.” the Chief declared.

“WHAT!?!?” exclaimed all four nikeans in unison (again).

“Yes, after many, many disputations and papers, the Council Chamber has agreed.” the Chief of Police explained.

“Surely you're joking?” asked the pink officer.

“Of course not.” replied the Chief.

“Shouldn't that take much longer?” asked Ben, utterly confused.

Rob agreed, saying: “Yes... it's a very drawn-out process.”

“Again, these are extraordinary circumstances involving a foreigner. The Council has decided it's the correct choice.” responded the Chief.

“You've seen his worth, he could be very useful for us. Especially with the recent happenings.” added the Deputy.

“You want to employ a foreigner!?” asked Brigitte, confused.

“Not exactly, but a foreigner would be useful to us in dealing with other 'unusual' issues.” clarified the Assistant Chief.

“But... there's no way!!!” pointed out Maroon.

“This isn't purely our idea, the Council Chamber has final say. We're only telling you their decision.” explained the Chief of Police.

“But, how... amnesty can't... he can't be freed!!!” Brigitte countered.

The Deputy said: “The Foreigner willingly helped you, not only to serve as bait, but also in aiding you against the creature. The Council has decided it indeed applies here.”

Brigitte responded: “No... you can't just free him... what if he becomes violent?”

“If he does show even the slightest aggression... he'll be apprehended and eliminated on sight.” the Deputy explained.

“Can't he shoot energy blasts and stuff, what if he just... destroys everything?” asked Ben, unconvinced.

“Yes, what he said!” agreed the Nikean-in-pink.

The Assistant Chief countered with: “Brigitte, please. You've already apprehended him with no injury. Not to mention, how dangerous can a mere foreigner possibly be?”

The Nikean-in-pink began to say: “You can't just-”

The Chief corrected her: “Brigitte, we've already discussed this, the rules are rules.”

“But... he's dangerous, he attacked me!!” she protested.

“Going by your report, you attacked first. He merely defended himself. Plus, again, the rules are rules.” The Chief of Police responded.

Brigitte tried to argue in vain: “But-”

“Brigitte, neither you or I have the final say on this. Follow the orders.” the Chief sternly insisted, interrupting her.

“...Fine.” she reluctantly accepted, looking away.

The Deputy then said: “Very good. Now... there is another caveat...”

Forge remained locked in his Second Level Prison cell this whole time, the only option he had at the moment was wait and see what would come next. He looked through his plastic-like cell door, not seeing anything other than the usual vermin, rusty riveted walls, flickering lights and a single sitting guard about to fall asleep on his chair.

“That idiot lied to me... there's zero chance of me bein' let go...” the Man in the Jacket lamented, with some scorn in his tone, then concluded “I-I hop' the followin' years I stay here pass quickly... if they don' jus' kill me.”, resigned at the situation.

He looked at his hand and wrist, saying to himself: “Still covered, at leas'... I hop' they don'-”

Just then, he noticed several officers approaching his cell. Not the ones he knew, but EastMak officers. Still, they dressed no less fancily than the ones back at Lochen City, fancy suits and bowties galore. As expected, most of the officers looked at the Man in the Jacket with contempt.

“What do they want...? Maybe they tell me how many years...” he mumbled softly.

Of the officers, one of them stepped forward. A tall man with well-styled blond hair, handlebar mustache and wearing a lighter grey suit, not the usual darker colors, appearing to be of a higher rank than the rest.

“Wh-Wha' is it...?” Forge asked.

The officer began: “Listen here, foreigner... due to the extraordinary circumstances, discussions started brewing up. Involving you, of course.”

“Wha- Ar' you goin' to ex-execut' me o-or som'thin'?” the Man in the Jacket asked, confused and somewhat fearful as he started to nervously bite his fingers.

“After much deliberation, the Jalcap Council Chamber has declared you eligible for amnesty.” the officer said, with a resigned tone.

Forge's face lit up, as he asked: “Ar-Ar' ya serius!? D-Does that meen I'm no longer st-stuck in this cage???”

The grey-suited officer continued: “As part of this... there is a caveat.”

“Always a catch...” Forge whispered.

“To complete your pardon... you'll have to assist Nikean Police Officers in a certain number of future missions.” the officer elaborated.

“Wha-...” Forge began to say, as he thought for a moment and then sighed, saying “Ok-Okay... your sayin' that I-I'll hav' to go on multiple missins?”.

“That is correct.” replied the officer.

Forge sighed, then replied: “G-Guess it's better than bein' stuck here.”

The blond-haired officer asked: “So you accept?”

“...Yes?” answered Forge.

“This missions may take you to places beyond this habitation. If so, this would not at all be something small or simple.” the grey officer warned.

“I... I'll accept this.” the Man in the Jacket gave his choice.

“Very well, foreigner... in that case... there's many papers to sign.” the grey-suited officer concluded.

“I hate signin' and many papers...” Forge whispered to himself.