Chapter Text
Morphoton, the biggest and capital city of Marinus was alive. Thousands of its citizens lined the main street of the city. It was at the point that it was hard to move at all in the street as everyone from the city and beyond had gathered in the city.
Every man and woman and child wore their best clothing for this important day that they were attending in their main city. Large smiles were plastered on their faces as they cheered the passing parade. Yet the smiles did not reach their eyes. Their dull eyes stared ahead as they danced before a large platform of marble and white silk. Colourful confetti rained down onto the road in front of the massive parade float that glided towards them.
The large marble platform hovered above the marbled ground with a green glow emanating from its base. A massive white cloth covered the entire machine that moved the float. Golden swirls and lines had been threaded into the cloth. Some of the swirls clustered together to form a brain like shape. The green glow from its engines still managed to peak out from under the white cloth that slightly dragged along the marble ground.
On the main body of the platform was three tall black marble pillar thrones. Along the smooth black surface of the thrones were more golden lines like those on the white cloth. On the top of the three thrones were large cushions. The cushions were a bright red colour. Extending from the corners of all the cushions was yellow tassels.
Perched on top of each of the cushions was a bulbous creature. The creatures looked like giant brains. Extending from the front of their round bodies were two long stocks with small yet beady eyes peering out at the gathered crowd. Four stumpy legs were too small to support their weight. Their four clawed fingers on the end of their legs dug deep into the soft red material of the cushion. A long spindly tail extended from the back of their bodies. Their spindly tails wrapped around the long marble collum thrones that the creatures were perched on top of. Branching off from the main section of the tail was much smaller tendrils that cripped into the marble with small claws at their end.
Standing at the front of the platform to the main body of the platform lower than the marble columned thrones was a man. The man wore a long white robe with golden swirls on it. A mask covered his entire face and head. Lines and markings had been engraved into the metal mask making it look like one of the creatures that was behind him.
The man spread his arms wide as the float he was on kept gliding forward. Behind his metal mask his eyes looked out into the crowd that had gathered on either side of the road. All of the citizens had been gathered to the street and there was no space available on either side of the road. Standing behind the citizens were the Protectors of Thoughts. The warriors glad in armour and robes stood with their heads bowed and their hands on their weapons. Always at the ready to protect.
“People of Marinus I the Keeper of Thoughts thank you for joining us on this day.” the Keeper shouted out to the gathered crowd. “I thank you under the blessings of Our Lords.” he continued as he waved his arms towards the three aliens behind him.
The cheering from the crowd only got louder. It was a roar that thundered through the marble street. Every man, woman and child all shouted their praise towards the three Morphos on the massive float.
The Keeper of Thoughts spread his arms wide once again. His masked head held high as he bellowed out to the crowd, “Silence.”
The entire crowd as one fell silent. The entire crowd stood still. No one moved. They stood perfectly still. Not even a twitch of a finger happened to anyone in the massive crowd. It was as if a switch had been flicked in their brains that stopped all movements. All blank eyes were fixed in on the Keeper of Thoughts. His robes bellowing behind him as the massive float kept gliding through the streets of Morphoton.
“This Festival of the Minds is a celebration of everything that Our Lords have done for us. Our Lords who had opened our minds and eyes to the real state of the world that we live in.” he continued to shout out to the now silent and still crowd as the float continued down the main street. “They came to us in a time when Marinus really needed saving. They showed us that we were not prospering under the old regime of bloodthirsty kings and divided kingdoms. They united us together under one rule and one mind.”
The crowd remained silent and still. Their blank eyes staring ahead of them. Despite the lack of response from the crowd the Keeper of Thoughts continued to speak to them, “Marinus failed in the old ways because the corrupt Royal Families of the Old Age were too focused on letting us be who we wanted to be. That was a mistake. Has our bloody history has proven to be the case. We cannot be allowed to think for ourselves as we are a danger to not just ourselves but to everyone else around us.”
The Keeper of Thoughts feel silent. His eyes behind his helmet looked out to the crowd. Everyone was still standing still. Their blank eyes fixed in on him and the float he was standing on. He could feel the beady eyes of the Morphos behind him watching him. Even he was under their watchful gaze despite his high ranking next to them.
“But not Our Lords the Morphos.” he continued to speak out to the crowd. He like everyone else had his role to play. He was the Keeper of Thoughts. The man who connected Our Lords with the people of Marinus. “Our Lords choose everything for us. Without their guidance we would be lost to the carnage of free choice.” he spoke out to the crowd with his hands held high above his head.
The crowd erupted into cheers of approval to his words. Once again everyone in the crowd sprang back to life. They waved their arms in the air with such movements that the different coloured slashes that they wore danced with them. Bright coloured confetti rained down onto the street having been fired from canons that lined the street. The rain of confetti didn’t damper the crowd’s spirits. Their cheers only got louder and their mindless dancing got more wilder than before.
Bowing his helmet covered head, the Keeper of Thoughts took in all the sounds and smells from the parade and festivities. From the smoke from the confetti cannons to barely smelling the smell of the carnival food. The crowd’s cheering was so loud that he barely could hear the whirling of the floats hover engine purring underneath him.
The Keeper of Thoughts closed his eyes as he took in the cheering. For a brief second, he could imagine that the sound was for himself. Just for a second. Having his moment to bask in the cheers of the crowd he opened his eyes. Behind his mask he watched as the float slowly crept forward along the main road. “Without any further ado it is time for Our Lords to speak.” he shouted out to the crowd.
The cheering on the streets only got louder as he turned around to face the three marble thrones. The Keeper of Thoughts dropped down to his knees as he bowed before the three bulbous aliens that perched at the top of the marble pillar thrones. The crowd on the street also dropped to their knees on seeing his actions.
“My Lords we all await to hear your voices.” he said to the three aliens.
The brain in the middle was the largest out of the three. It was perched on top of the tallest of the podiums. Its beady eyes were fixed on the Keeper of Thoughts who bowed before them. The tip of its long spindly tail tapped against the smooth cold marble of its pillar. “Very well said, Keeper of Thoughts.” he purred to the still bowing Keeper of Thoughts.
Keeping his head bowed the Keeper of Thought responded, “I do everything to please you, My Lord Cerebrion.”
“Indeed.” replied Cerebrion. “You have never failed us.”
Keeping his masked head bowed he responded, “I am as you made me, My Lord. I owe you and the other Lords everything.”
Cerebrion’s beady eyes narrowed in on the still bowing Keeper of Thoughts. “Yes. You do.” he snarled at the Keeper of Thoughts. “But remember we can take everything you have away. So keep up the good work.” he warned the bowing man.
The Keeper of Thoughts kept his head bowed. His body was rock solid despite Cerebrion’s warning. “I am loyal to you, My Lord Cerebrion. Along with the other Our Lords. I will not do anything to displease you.” he said to the largest of the three Morphos.
Cerebrion scoffed as his beady eyes atop the long slender eye stocks turned to the crowd. “Our people!” he shouted out to the crowd gathered before him and the other two Morphos. He was meet with dead silence. The crowd and city were silent before them. “You fill all three of us with pride that you have opened your minds to us. And allowed us to lead you into a bright new future.”
The only response that he got was pure silence. The massive crowd a thousand strong was nothing but statures.
Despite the lack of response from the crowd Cerebrion continued, “To think that only fifty years ago we had been lost in this vast and deadly universe. A universe that did not want to listen to our teachings. But that changed when we came to Marinus. You listened to us. You allowed us to make your every thought and decision. In doing that we had saved you from yourselves.”
The crowd sprang back to life. The thousand strong individuals jumped and clapped as one. Their blank dull eyes staring ahead of them as the cheered and clapped to Cerebrion. More brightly coloured confetti rained down from the canons above the street.
“Please Our People there will be plenty of time later today for you to celebrate on this Festival of the Mind.” Cerebrion gentle spoke out to the crowd. His voice was so gentle that it blanketed the entire crowd in peaceful silence.
“Today is the first day of the Festival of Mind. A festival in where we all celebrate Marinus’s bright future together. A future that would not have been achieved without us guiding your every thoughts towards it.” Cerebrion spoke out to the silent crowd. His voice echoing in the wind towards the back of the crowd.
Cerebrion’s beady eyes scanned the massive crowd. Thousands of blank eyes looked back at him. All shared the same thoughts. “Today we allow you to celebrate the day when we freed you from the shackles that are free will.” he boomed out to the crowd.
Cheering and clapping thundered through the crowd. Everyone stood upon hearing Cerebrion’s words. Confetti once again rained down from the sky. Despite the celebrations thousands of blank lifeless eyes glanced back at him and the other two Morphos.
Cerebrion shouted out to the roaring crowd, “With that being said: you are allowed to enjoy the festivities of the Festival of the Mind. Hurry and go. You will return to your duties tomorrow.”
The three Morphos watched as the entire crowd as one turned away from them. The thousand strong drones marched as one away from the marble platform. Their glassy eyes glazed ahead of them as they marched as one. More colourful confit rained down onto the mindless marching drones of Marinus.
“Tell me again, Cerebrion,” the brain on the right spoke up, “why do you have to make a show of this festival every year?”
Cerebrion’s two beady eyes turned away from the retreating crowd back to his fellow Morpho. “Because, Hypothalax it is an easy way to keep them under our control.” he replied.
Hypothalax was the fattest out of the three Morphos. His green skin was so shinny from the amount of slime that covered his fat body. “Pft, it’s a waste of time, Cerebrion.” he scoffed back at the more muscular Morpho. “We control everything on this planet. There is no need for this charade.”
Cerebrion turned his eyes away from Hypothalax with a chuckle. “Oh but that is where you are wrong. This festival is for us. It celebrates how well we have controlled Marinus for the past fifty years.” he explained with a chuckle.
“But we don’t need all this.” Hypothalax argued back. His long spindly tail flicked in annoyance. “We know that we have all the power on this planet.”
“It is also good for their mental health.” a meek voice squeaked.
Both Cerebrion and Hypothalax beady eyes atop the slender eye stocks twitched towards the third Morpho. The smallest Morpho was shivering on his cushion. His long spindly tail wrapped tightly around the marble collum of his throne. Black wary eyes twitched atop skinny eye stocks.
"What did you just say, Thalamor?” Hypothalax asked him. His own beady eyes narrowed as he glared at the much smaller Morpho.
Thalamor’s wary eyes jumped to Hypothalax. “It’s good for their mental health.” he weakly responded back with.
Hypothalax burst out into laughter, “Haha. That’s what I thought you said. What a weak idea.”
“No Hypothalax, Thalamor is correct.” Cerebrion spoke up from the middle podium. He waited until Hypothalax’s and Thalamor’s beady eyes turned to him before he continued, “This is good for their mental health. If we give them something that makes them happy they wont fight against the effects of our Holy Water.”
“Tch we only need to do this because you two are two week.” Hypothalax grumbled back. “If we were more like the Daleks we would not need any of this farce. In fact I’m sure that we would be able to develop space travelling technology.”
From his podium Thalamor let out a squeak of fright, “Not like the Daleks.” His small bulbous body trembled so much that his podium started to shake under him.
Hypothalax’s attention turned to Thalamor. “Yes. Like the Daleks.” he snapped back to the smaller Morpho.
“Don’t you remember what they done to us?” Thalamor whispered.
Hypothalax let out a growl back to Thalamor. His stubby claws scratched into the soft red cushion he was sitting on. His beady eyes glared at the smaller trembling Morpho. “I haven’t forgotten what they had done to us.” he sneered.
His beady eyes atop the long slender eye stocks then turned back to Cerebrion. He sneered that their leader was sitting like a fat cat. Not doing anything, just watching their argument. “Yet despite everything that they had done they have accomplished much more than we can dream. And that is because they are not weak to their slaves.” he sneered at their leader.
Finally, Cerebrion’s atop his eye stocks turned to Hypothalax. “Our Water may let us control those who drink it. But in order to keep the people under our control we must give them something to celebrate. A celebrate that roots its way into their very brain. That way we don’t lose control over them.” he explained to Hypothalax.
“Pft. It’s still a weak way in controlling the slaves.” Hypothalax scoffed back to the other two Morphos. His anger burst when he heard Cerebrion started to laugh at him. “What do you find so funny?” he asked him.
“I find it funny how childish you are, Hypothalax.” Cerebrion said after having a moment to laugh. “Despite how well we have done in ruling this world you still want to be like the Daleks.”
“There is nothing wrong with using strong tactics against our enemies and cattle. It shows how strong we are.” Hypothalax snarled back to Cerebrion. The frayed tip of his spindly tail flicked in annoyance. “The Daleks rule thousands of worlds using that tactic.” he defended himself.
Cerebrion sighed as he closed his beady eyes. “You really are a child Hypothalax.” he muttered in defeat.
“The Daleks aren’t really strong.” Thalamor squeaked out from his pillar. His entire body trembled when he was once again the focus of attention of the other two Morphos. “Um, pretend I didn’t say anything.” he meekly whispered back to them.
“Oh, no. You don’t get to walk out this like that, Thalamor.” Hypothalax snarled back to the smaller Morpho. “The Daleks empire is one of the greatest out in the galaxy. And yet we only control half of one planet. So do explain to me why you think the Daleks are weak?”
Thalamor made a noise as his beady eyes turned away Hypothalax to look at Cerebrion. His stomach dropped when Cerebrion said, “Don’t look at me, Thalamor. You know how much he fans over the Daleks.”
Slowly Thalamor’s eyes turned back to Hypothalax. The fattest Morpho was leering at him like the fat cat that he was. “Uh.” he whispered. His mind despite being blank was racing as he found himself under Hypothalax’s glare.
“Well I am waiting, Thalamor.” Hypothalax sneered.
Another shiver spread down his spine all the way down to the tip of his tail. “The Daleks may control many worlds. But they are constantly having to deal with resistances.” he meekly whispered back to Hypothalax.
Hypothalax went silent. His beady eyes narrowed into slits as he glared at Thalamor. “That is where we will show that we are superior to them.” he finally argued up.
“I believe this conversation is best to be continued elsewhere.” Cerebrion suddenly spoke up from the middle collum. He waited until both Thalamor and Hypothalax both turned their eyes to him before continuing, “We may control all the minds here, but we must be careful in how we tread.”
“And why should that be, Cerebrion?” Hypothalax snapped back to the larger brain like alien. “Like you just said we control the minds of the people of Marinus. So why should we be careful?”
Cerebrion’s full attention was back on Hypothalax. “Because our hold over the people is only strong as we are united. This bickering over being like the Daleks will loosen our hold over them.” he explained. “So we can carry this conversation behind closed doors. Where no one can hear us.”
Cerebrion studied Hypothalax with an unnerving glare. A glare that Hypothalax returned to him.
“Fine.” Hypothalax finally spat as he looked away from Cerebrion. “We have waisted enough time being with the cattle.”
Cerebrion turned his eyes to the white and golden robed Keeper of Thoughts. Their holy man was still standing at the front of the platform. His back to them as he faced out to the receding crowd. “Keeper of thoughts!” he shouted over to the masked robed.
The Keeper of Thoughts quickly turned back to face all three Morphos. He dropped to his knees as he bowed his head to all three them. “Yes, My Lord?” he asked Cerebrion without looking up to him.
“Take us back to our Inner Sanctum. And then return to the streets. I must make sure that no one is fighting our control over them.” Cerebrion ordered the Keeper of Thoughts.
“Right away, My Lord.” responded the Keeper of Thoughts before he got to his feet. He clicked his fingers. Six men in white robes stepped out from the shadows. They wore a head scarf that covered their heads. A golden piece of fabric was wrapped around their eyes covering them. Hung over their right shoulders was a red sash that then wrapped around their hips. “Take Our Lords back to their Inner Sanctum.” he ordered the six men.
“At once, Keeper of Thoughts.” all six men said as one. Mirroring their steps the six men then stepped into three groups of two. The three groups of two the lifted a red pillow with a Morpho on top of it with easy. No words were said as they carried the brain-like creatures that were their leaders towards a door hiding behind a large golden cloth.