Work Text:
Department of the Commonwealth Min., Div. of Tertiary Integration
Protocol Sheeve 3567778
Date 440-5-44.68
Fourth Subject's Responses to Triage Questionnaire
EYES ONLY
1. Delia Anhothal Orchidacae.
2. Student. My mom is the 6th archival assistant.
3. Lower District, State Belathio, Confederacy of Western Zalintyre
4. Since I was a kid. I was born in the Upper District but the wars were getting bad and my mother emigrated. I think that worked out ok, because she got the job at the archives. We've been in the Lower District ever since.
5. Just the one brother. Ilugi.
6. Mom wouldn't let me date. She said I'm too young. I might have had one, otherwise.
7. She wouldn't let me do that, either.
8. Not really. Just the conspiracy nuts on television.
9. Of course we do.
10. Ilugi was really into that stuff. He had pictures of flying disks and square-invader ships on his bedroom walls. He collected books and downloaded pods; everything aliens. He dressed up as one, for Alanitir. Mom made him little antennae out of Silli-form.
11. It's like a holiday where kids dress up? In, like, costumes. Adults dress up too, but it's mostly for kids. Everyone goes out into the streets to celebrate.
12. I went as An Netre. She's a singer. She's famous! Or she was, I guess. Not anymore.
13. I don't know. I didn't care for school. Ilugi was into math and science. He wanted to be an astronaut. You have to understand how weird that is, though. He had a lunchbox with space on it, and a padlock, because the other kids kept taking it. Such a weirdo.
14. Tv reports.
15. Not at first, but we all got pulled out of school. So that was nice.
16. When the spaceships arrived.
17. They were kind of…pointed? And elaborate. Nothing at all like the flying disks or square-invader ships from television. They were flashy and ornate, but kind of industrial, too. They reminded me of church.
18. Well, some people really wanted to go. There were tests, try-outs, med-scans…that sort of thing. There was a waiting list. It was super competitive! If you even wanted to see the ships up close, the Marshals demanded proof of vaccination. Ilugi had Orchopox as a kid, so he couldn't go. But that was just the first round.
19. Well, they were kind of good-looking.
20. I didn't have time to consider. It all came and went so quickly.
21. Yeah, almost immediately. I went to sleep after the first round left, and when I woke up, President Beliath was on tv, explaining why the ships were back.
22. Ew. The Monitors. All green-grey spindly. Gross.
23. I think one of the Marshals called them "Keepers." Greys, goblins, ghosts, boogeymen. Aliens.
24. When they asked if they could attend Alanitir.
25. I didn't but mom did. We had kind of a fight, actually.
26. The President said we should make the Visitors feel welcome because they might not understand our customs. Mom said that history was full of invaders who knock on doors and say "Hello, I'm here to understand the local customs."
27. They just started sucking people up. With, like, glittery tractor beams.
28. Everyone was out in the street for the holiday. Ilugi had his Silli-form antennae on. He thought it was [SLANG ADJUSTED] very interesting and hip.
29. He went right into the tractor beam. No fear.
30. Less than 20 ticks [TIME UNITS TRANSLATED]
31. No one could get a hold of anyone. Tv was dead, phones were dead, computers.
32. It was pretty obvious at this point. There was like, no one left. Mom and I just hid in the laundry room. Everything smelled like tequila. It made me really sleepy.
33. Door to door, with guns. Not that they needed them.
34. Yeah, nuclear missiles, I think? But it didn't work and there wasn't much time. So, whatever.
35. That we were going to die. That Ilugi was dead.
36. I always figured I'd work in the archives, with mom. I'm studying to be a topographist, but it's competitive. I guess I'll have an advantage now.
37. When I woke up surrounded by [EXPLETIVE] lizard men.
38. Some kind of King.
39. Sexy but scary. A real [EXPLETIVE] [EXPLETIVE]
40. No but who else could it be?
41. He wore a collar and a sequined cape. And leather pants. And cheekbones cheekbones cheekbones.
42. Three questions. Where I was, where mom was, and where Ilugi was. And what happened to them. So four questions.
43. Yes, he did.
44. Sad. But you have to understand that our lives were always pretty awful. My mom was kind of irritating, even before all this. And there were the droughts.
45. That was the strangest part.
46. I counted twelve of us, but we weren't allowed to speak to each other. I didn't recognize anyone, anyway. It was mostly girls from the Eastern Confederacy. Easties.
47. Because of their eyes, and skin color. And their clothes: gold beads, red silli-form. I mean, you can tell that Eastern Zalintyre is a whole different culture. I always thought that's why the war got so bad? Some politician would go on tv, saying how different we are, and people would get pissed. President Beliath had to postpone an air strike when the spaceships first came.
48. Just before the transport arrived, to take us to Ores. That was the best meal I ever ate. Even the Easties loved it. It looked like goop and went down all slimy, but afterward, I felt amazing. My skin got warm, like tea with honey. The Keepers let us drink as much water as we wanted.
49. They said we could either "re-Seed" or integrate. Re-Seeding would mean having our memories wiped.
50. I'm here, aren't I?
51. A girl at the terminal said she liked my An Netre costume. So obviously there are SOME people out here who are [SLANG ADJUSTED] interesting and hip.
52. I don't know. The Marshals are pretty good-looking. Maybe I could enlist for the Aegis? Or I wouldn't mind holding a tray for prince cheekbones. I'd like to get out of this office ASAP.
53. Until the day that I die.
I attest that this is a true statement of events, made in sound mind and of my own free will:
Signed:
Date: