Third and final part of my story. I must give thanks to ShadowGhost for helping me by doing his characters part, Jessica Stoneberg - Grav Mistress. And Workmaker for his ideas.
As the door closed behind Starbrite, Jessica stood and walked towards Ellie. As she approached, Ellie rose from her seat and looked at her through the crackling energy field separating them; Jessica returned her look with an expression of sympathy, barely hiding her frustration.
Ellies face remained expressionless as she spoke, Well At least theyve given me a choice.
Jessica managed a weak smile and looked at Ellie through the shimmer as she tried to read what going through her mind.
Ellie sighed, raising a hand towards Jess, stopping just short of the force field. They could have at least shut this bloody thing off
Its not like wed run or anything, would we? Jessica said as she slightly raised an eyebrow and reached out to touch the force field gently. Ellie touched the field in the same place, ignoring the tingling running through her fingers.
Without thinking Jessica analysed the field, more in reflex than anything; checking for vulnerable points she could take advantage of. Then, she looked into those emerald green eyes. Not really great options are they?
Ellie shook her head slowly, Not really My life or my free will May as well have stayed Millys pet.
Jessica sighed, The reason for all this, the Nictus that was in you, is gone They could have at least given you the chance to prove yourself.
They have, thats why theyre even giving me this choice.
This time, Jessica shook her head, No, they havent They put that collar on you; put you in a glass room so to speak, before you had a chance to show them you wouldnt hurt anyone.
Yeah Well, guess I can hardly blame them for that, after what I did. Ellie slumped down in the chair, despondent.
Was it you? Jessica asked, sceptically.
I dont know Dont remember.
From the surveillance footage, I saw such hatred in your eyes. I dont believe you could ever feel such fury towards anyone. Jessica shook her head in frustration, It makes little difference, the elders wont change their minds now.
Ellie shrugged as she looked up at Jessica, True I guess, even with the choice theyve given me, I dont really have a choice. I dont want to die
Jessica nodded, accepting Ellies choice, and looked at the forcefield surrounding her. Muttering an incantation, she caused a hole to appear and quickly stepped through before the hole could seal itself. She raised Ellie to her feet and took her in her arms, Then the choice is clear.
Ellie wrapped her arms around Jessica, and rested her head on her shoulder. Maybe, when theyve done it, itll all be over. Maybe theyll leave me alone.
Jessica rested her own head against Ellies and whispered, We can only hope.
As the girls held each other, the doors leading from the chamber opened, and the council quietly filed back into the room. Starbrite narrowed his eyes at the sight of Jessica inside the forcefield with Ellie, but said nothing, taking his seat.
Jessica noticed their return and nudged Ellie gently. Ellie looked up, and seeing the elders, turned to face them, holding Jessicas hand; Jessica also turned to face the elders, by Ellies side.
The speaker focused his attention on Jessica and his form flared in annoyance. Choosing to ignore her obvious contempt, he turned his attention back to Ellie. You have made you decision?
Ellie raised her head high, I have The restructuring.
Jessica gave Ellies hand a encouraging squeeze, then after sharing a look, and with a nod from Ellie; she muttered the same incantation again and stepped through the hole in the field, returning to her seat next to Starbrite as it closed behind her.
The speaker paused briefly; then his glow brightened, Very well. You will be taken to our specialists immediately, and they will begin the restructuring procedure.
As he spoke, the field surrounding Ellie flickered out and two guards, armed with quantum dispersal weapons, approached Ellie. With a final glance at Jessica, and a whispered See you soon, she was led away, giving Jessica just enough time for a quick nod and a smile before Ellie moved out of sight.
Miss Stoneberg, I know we must seem unnecessarily harsh to you, but understand; we have no choice but to act as we have.
Jessica turned her stern gaze upon the speaker, There is always a choice. Did you hear what Ellie and I said?
We did But our concern must be for the safety of this world and its citizens. As she is, Eloise is far too dangerous She is easily controlled; this should not be, but Mikoshi is damaged, incomplete. Eloise does not possess the mental shielding which should be hers; this procedure will resolve that problem as well.
"You say that as she is now, she's too dangerous. Yet you do not know how she is now. The Nictus is expelled, yet you restrained her before giving her a chance to show herself 'as she is now'. The Cirque provides mental shielding as well, yet you discard this, you have an incomplete picture on which you pass judgement" Jessica proclaimed, barely managing to keep her voice from shouting.
The Cirque de la Lune, Miss Stoneberg, are a problem in of themselves, and one which Eloise would be well advised to avoid, as should yourself. An organisation which cloaks itself in darkness is no place for beings of light such as us.
Jessica straightened her back and stood tall, Ellie and I are proud to be members of the Cirque, they have been a family to us and they stand by us in times of need, far more than you have ever done for Ellie.
The speaker hovered for a moment, considering Jesss words. Were there another option we could have taken, Miss Stoneberg, we would have done so. However, we are constrained by the laws of our race; merely allowing Eloise the chance for restructuring stretched them to their limits and we can do no more.
Jessica thought for a moment, considering mentioning that adjusting the laws to new situations like interaction with humans would be a better course of action, but she realised the futility before she starts. Therefore she just nodded and remained silent, indicating that the conversation was over as far as she was concerned.
The speakers glow brightened again as he recognized Jessicas nod for what it signifies, There is one more thing you should be aware of, Miss Stoneberg. Eloise will be assigned a monitor, someone to watch over her and help her to learn better control of her abilities. She will be required to report to this monitor daily for the foreseeable future, where she will also receive counselling, to assist her in coming to terms with what she was made to do.
Jessica raised an eyebrow, If you had done this from the start, all of this unpleasantness could have been avoided.
Perhaps, but we are acting now. Be grateful she has this final chance Miss Stoneberg. We will assist where we can, but, should events repeat themselves, we will not be able to show such leniency again.
In a single motion, the council rose. We will return Eloise to you at the Galaxy Girl statue when the procedure is complete, Starbrite will contact you when she is ready.
Jessica made a polite bow from the waist before turning to leave, though her eyes clearly showed her true feelings. Then she turned and walked towards the doors. As she approached Starbrite, she stopped briefly to offer him an apologetic smile. At this, he smiled in return and, standing himself, turned to escort her home.
@FloatingFatMan
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Third and final part of my story. I must give thanks to ShadowGhost for helping me by doing his characters part, Jessica Stoneberg - Grav Mistress. And Workmaker for his ideas.
As the door closed behind Starbrite, Jessica stood and walked towards Ellie. As she approached, Ellie rose from her seat and looked at her through the crackling energy field separating them; Jessica returned her look with an expression of sympathy, barely hiding her frustration.
Ellies face remained expressionless as she spoke, Well At least theyve given me a choice.
Jessica managed a weak smile and looked at Ellie through the shimmer as she tried to read what going through her mind.
Ellie sighed, raising a hand towards Jess, stopping just short of the force field. They could have at least shut this bloody thing off
Its not like wed run or anything, would we? Jessica said as she slightly raised an eyebrow and reached out to touch the force field gently. Ellie touched the field in the same place, ignoring the tingling running through her fingers.
Without thinking Jessica analysed the field, more in reflex than anything; checking for vulnerable points she could take advantage of. Then, she looked into those emerald green eyes. Not really great options are they?
Ellie shook her head slowly, Not really My life or my free will May as well have stayed Millys pet.
Jessica sighed, The reason for all this, the Nictus that was in you, is gone They could have at least given you the chance to prove yourself.
They have, thats why theyre even giving me this choice.
This time, Jessica shook her head, No, they havent They put that collar on you; put you in a glass room so to speak, before you had a chance to show them you wouldnt hurt anyone.
Yeah Well, guess I can hardly blame them for that, after what I did. Ellie slumped down in the chair, despondent.
Was it you? Jessica asked, sceptically.
I dont know Dont remember.
From the surveillance footage, I saw such hatred in your eyes. I dont believe you could ever feel such fury towards anyone. Jessica shook her head in frustration, It makes little difference, the elders wont change their minds now.
Ellie shrugged as she looked up at Jessica, True I guess, even with the choice theyve given me, I dont really have a choice. I dont want to die
Jessica nodded, accepting Ellies choice, and looked at the forcefield surrounding her. Muttering an incantation, she caused a hole to appear and quickly stepped through before the hole could seal itself. She raised Ellie to her feet and took her in her arms, Then the choice is clear.
Ellie wrapped her arms around Jessica, and rested her head on her shoulder. Maybe, when theyve done it, itll all be over. Maybe theyll leave me alone.
Jessica rested her own head against Ellies and whispered, We can only hope.
As the girls held each other, the doors leading from the chamber opened, and the council quietly filed back into the room. Starbrite narrowed his eyes at the sight of Jessica inside the forcefield with Ellie, but said nothing, taking his seat.
Jessica noticed their return and nudged Ellie gently. Ellie looked up, and seeing the elders, turned to face them, holding Jessicas hand; Jessica also turned to face the elders, by Ellies side.
The speaker focused his attention on Jessica and his form flared in annoyance. Choosing to ignore her obvious contempt, he turned his attention back to Ellie. You have made you decision?
Ellie raised her head high, I have The restructuring.
Jessica gave Ellies hand a encouraging squeeze, then after sharing a look, and with a nod from Ellie; she muttered the same incantation again and stepped through the hole in the field, returning to her seat next to Starbrite as it closed behind her.
The speaker paused briefly; then his glow brightened, Very well. You will be taken to our specialists immediately, and they will begin the restructuring procedure.
As he spoke, the field surrounding Ellie flickered out and two guards, armed with quantum dispersal weapons, approached Ellie. With a final glance at Jessica, and a whispered See you soon, she was led away, giving Jessica just enough time for a quick nod and a smile before Ellie moved out of sight.
Miss Stoneberg, I know we must seem unnecessarily harsh to you, but understand; we have no choice but to act as we have.
Jessica turned her stern gaze upon the speaker, There is always a choice. Did you hear what Ellie and I said?
We did But our concern must be for the safety of this world and its citizens. As she is, Eloise is far too dangerous She is easily controlled; this should not be, but Mikoshi is damaged, incomplete. Eloise does not possess the mental shielding which should be hers; this procedure will resolve that problem as well.
"You say that as she is now, she's too dangerous. Yet you do not know how she is now. The Nictus is expelled, yet you restrained her before giving her a chance to show herself 'as she is now'. The Cirque provides mental shielding as well, yet you discard this, you have an incomplete picture on which you pass judgement" Jessica proclaimed, barely managing to keep her voice from shouting.
The Cirque de la Lune, Miss Stoneberg, are a problem in of themselves, and one which Eloise would be well advised to avoid, as should yourself. An organisation which cloaks itself in darkness is no place for beings of light such as us.
Jessica straightened her back and stood tall, Ellie and I are proud to be members of the Cirque, they have been a family to us and they stand by us in times of need, far more than you have ever done for Ellie.
The speaker hovered for a moment, considering Jesss words. Were there another option we could have taken, Miss Stoneberg, we would have done so. However, we are constrained by the laws of our race; merely allowing Eloise the chance for restructuring stretched them to their limits and we can do no more.
Jessica thought for a moment, considering mentioning that adjusting the laws to new situations like interaction with humans would be a better course of action, but she realised the futility before she starts. Therefore she just nodded and remained silent, indicating that the conversation was over as far as she was concerned.
The speakers glow brightened again as he recognized Jessicas nod for what it signifies, There is one more thing you should be aware of, Miss Stoneberg. Eloise will be assigned a monitor, someone to watch over her and help her to learn better control of her abilities. She will be required to report to this monitor daily for the foreseeable future, where she will also receive counselling, to assist her in coming to terms with what she was made to do.
Jessica raised an eyebrow, If you had done this from the start, all of this unpleasantness could have been avoided.
Perhaps, but we are acting now. Be grateful she has this final chance Miss Stoneberg. We will assist where we can, but, should events repeat themselves, we will not be able to show such leniency again.
In a single motion, the council rose. We will return Eloise to you at the Galaxy Girl statue when the procedure is complete, Starbrite will contact you when she is ready.
Jessica made a polite bow from the waist before turning to leave, though her eyes clearly showed her true feelings. Then she turned and walked towards the doors. As she approached Starbrite, she stopped briefly to offer him an apologetic smile. At this, he smiled in return and, standing himself, turned to escort her home.
@FloatingFatMan
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.