The Many Paths to Enlightenment

The Many Paths to Enlightenment

Only through many hardships
Is a man stripped to his very foundations
And in such a state
Devoid of Distractions
Is his soul free to soar
And in this
He is closest to God
The Scriptures, Book of Missions, Verses 42:5


Prologue

Keets fiddled with the datapad listlessly. His brow furrowed in focused concentration as the info on the datapad flowed past unread. His thoughts trying to work through what he had just learned. He knew he should be grateful...and he was. Most slaves are stuck planet-side or in the bowels of ships, but...he was lucky. He was First Slave to a Capsuleer. He had a blessed life, even if there were drawbacks. For example, the first born of every family was expected to serve on board the Master's ships. He never knew whether his Master saw this as an honour he was granting, or simply a means to prevent sabotage. Whichever it was, those on the crew were respected by the other slaves, even while they themselves compared it to being in the mines. Only they would prefer the mines. At least that's what Blake, his son, said.

When the loss notice came in and the Master's med-clone was activated, he knew his first duty was to his Master. And it was. He didn't even think of Blake, at least, not until the Master was safely in his new clone and heading off to return to the battle with a new ship, and a new crew. Something about that bothered him. His own son. He admired the way the Capsuleers he had met were so unfazed by losses of life in the thousands, and was glad he too was able to put duty first, but... his only son.

Keets blinked that line of thinking away when his datapad chirped, informing him of Master's return. He met Master at the pod dock, and followed him to the unloading hangar.

Chapter One - Salvation

Lord Garrett stepped out onto a balcony overlooking the large hangar looking very impressive in his dress uniform. Keets stood behind and to the right, both flanked by armed guards. Below, huddled like...like worms thought Keets, were the crew of the enemy ship. Those that killed his son. They were so-called 'Free Minmatar'. Looking down at them, Keets was ashamed of his blood and gave thanks again for his blessings.

Lord Garrett raised his arms and spoke in a booming voice, carried and made louder by the amplifiers placed around the hangar. “Today is a glorious day! Today, you will begin on the path to Enlightenment. You have been spared the horrors of a death in space. More...you have been spared the horrors of a life without God. From this day forward, you will live in the light of God.”

Something nagged at Keets. He seemed to remember something about this being an illegal way of obtaining slaves in the Empire, but, as Master continued, his reasoning seemed sound and he let the thought fall away. Like Blake, thought Keets.

“You have committed crimes against the Empire. You have committed crimes against God. Today, you will begin to purge those sins.” With that, small jets appeared from all the walls around the hangar. The Minmatar P.O.W.'s, except a few stoics, began to panic. The smell of fear rising off of them made Keet's stomach churn. A white, foamy liquid spewed from the jets, completely whiting out the scene below. When the jets stopped, the crowd was mostly huddled together, and completely covered in the white soapy substance. “Today, you have been cleansed” The jets spewed forth again, a torrent of water so forceful as to batter people around, sending them this way and that as different jets of water hit them. Keets looked at the sopping mass of humanity on the hangar floor as they choked and gagged, coughing up water. He felt...shame.

Stepping off the balcony and back into the hallway, Lord Garrett made his way briskly back to his chambers as Keets clamoured to keep up. “That's what 'freedom' does to your people Keets.”
“They're not my people sir.”
Lord Garrett glanced at Keets sideways and nodded, satisfied with his reply. “Oh...this clone...” holding out his arm. “Where is the tattoo that's supposed to be here?”
Keets frowns “Hmm. Sorry sir, the Amarr Navy cloning division has been, rather difficult to deal with.”
Lord Garrett paused a moment outside his chamber door. “Yes...I have found that as well. I am not impressed. Perhaps we should look into switching cloning facilities?”
“Yes sir, right away sir.”
“Oh, and the paperwork on the new slaves? Leave that to me.”
“Are you sure sir? I am happy to...”
“Just leave it to me,” Lord Garrett says, smiling tightly before closing the door on him.

Chapter Two - The Family That Prays Together...

Keets entered their quarters very preoccupied. He didn't notice the official letter by the door with the gift of prayer beads, to honour the loss of their son. When he entered the kitchen, he didn't notice Marta's expression as she prepared dinner from their rations. He played with his data-pad as Ava, their daughter, came and sat quietly at the table, her eyes red and swollen. He said their prayers and was halfway through dinner before he realized he was the only one eating. He stopped and looked up to find Marta staring at him with a mixture of horror and awe. Ava was glaring at him with outright revulsion. He had to think for a minute before he noticed Blake's empty chair. Understanding hit hard.

They sat like that for a long time, Ava fuming. Finally she stormed off to her room without a word. Marta and Keets stared at each other ,the silence growing into a living thing before he finally spoke.
“He was doing God's work.”
Marta stood up and cleared the table in silence, like a Sansha zombie. Keets longed to hold her, to comfort her, to do something. He couldn't.

Later that night, when everyone else was asleep, his mind turned over what he had said at dinner. Had Blake really been doing God's work? In the still silence of the slave's quarters after curfew, all alone, Keets cried for his son.

Chapter Three - Germ of an Idea

Keets entered the confessional and genuflected. The voice on the other side of the screen blessed him and asked “What is the matter my son?”
“It is a question of faith, Lord Father.”
“Go on.”
“Not my faith Father...my Master's”
After a long silence the voice said “I see.”
“I know it is not my place to question, or doubt my Master's actions but...”
“Yes...?”
“I am loyal Father. To my Master, to the Empire, and most of all, to God. But I feel...I worry about my salvation, Father.”
“I am pleased to hear it.” A hint of warmth now in the voice. “So what is your question child?”
Even though he was pushing fifty, it was comforting being called 'child.' He always felt so, but now, he clung to that feeling desperately. “The slave's path to enlightenment is paved by his Lord. In serving a master, we are learning to serve God and our Master, in many ways, is our shepherd...?”
“Um...basically, yes, in many ways”
“So, what is a loyal slave to do if his Master...makes him disloyal to the Empire? Or to God?”

The priest listened in silence as the story of the POW's came pouring out. The sins of pride and ego his Master committed daily. His disregard for the Empresses' decrees. When he was finished, the voice spoke calmly, slowly, kindly.
“Child, you are right. It is not your place to question your Master.”
Keets felt his stomach drop. He was wrong to come...
“You are also right to be concerned about your Master's salvation.”
Keets looked up, hopeful, questioningly, open.
“The Master is responsible for his slaves salvation, and all that that entails. But...there are many paths to enlightenment, the slave's is but one. A Master also needs his slaves. His slaves guide him in a way, and keep him thinking about God. You did right to come to me, my son. Remember...God has a role for you as well, and your Master must learn you have a role to play in his salvation.”

Chapter Four - ...stays together

When Keets returned to the office, the Inquisitor's men were already there, going through everything, downloading everything to their datapads. It was only a momentary expression of surprise, but Lord Garret caught it. He noted his slave hiding his initial surprise and watched him while the Inquisitors finished their search. When they had left, finding nothing, as Garrett knew, Keets informed him of the daily business. He added “The Amarr Navy has binned all of the clones assigned to you, and your tissue samples are en-route to the Ardishapur Family, though they don't want any of your neural scans saying they would prefer to do their own.”

Garrett listened to it all half-attentively. He was studying Keets, and Keets, who could feel it, was beginning to show signs of nervousness.

“You lost your son on my ship the other day, didn't you?” Keets felt the blood leave his face, and he nodded.

“It is a sin of pride and ego to put your own blood ahead of your Master. Ahead of God.” Keets began to stammer and Garrett raised his hand silencing him.

“It is my fault. I allowed you to have a family before you were ready. I have rectified that.”

Chapter Five - A Dangerous Clip

What did that mean? Keets thought, as he made his way to his quarters. My family? But he already knew, even before he opened the door. To an outside observer it would have looked like Keets didn't notice the absence of things around him. Things that had been there this morning. Marta's shoes. Ava's collection of holo-reels. The smells of Marta's cooking. Marta.

Part of him died then. He could feel it. Like a coal ember, extinguished. A cold hard lump where once there had been fire. After a moment, he headed to the kitchen area and dropped the pile of disks he was carrying on the table. He sat down and began studying them, one by one. Sometimes, he reinserted a previously viewed disk into his datapad, looking for something he missed, or may not have understood correctly. He was still staring at his datapad when an electronic chirp informed him it was time to start a new day. He gathered up all the disks and dropped them in the incinerator before heading out the door.

Keets could not recall a time he had been more nervous. Everything was prepared. Everything that could be done, had been done, save one. His lip quivered slightly, but his hands remained steady. He had read all he could, studied harder than he ever had. His tasks had been done diligently, as they always were. Neither his diligence nor his thoroughness calmed him. It was the voice of the cleric, heard as a loop. “Your Master must learn you have a role to play in his salvation.” Over and over again, calming his heart, steeling his spine, while his mind raced, almost out of control.

“Would you mind...that is...would you permit me...?” The technician stood there, waiting for Keets to spit it out. “I would like, very much, to see the neural imager.” The technicians eyes narrowed suspiciously. “You see...I've been studying it and...well...I've never seen one, an actual one...”

The technician smiled “Yeah alright, but don't touch anything.”

“I won't” Keets promised “I know that this is the most valuable piece of equipment on the whole ship. You have a very important job.”

“Well, not the most valuable but, probably the most important” the technician said as he lifted the access panel to reveal the highly sensitive equipment. After a few minutes, the combination of an interested party and the slight ego-stroking took effect. The technician began lecturing and showing off. Keets had him. Just as the technician lifted off the protective covering of the lens configuration, Keets hit the remote in his pocket and the hangar doors swished open. The technician jumped guiltily and spun towards the door. No one was there.

His head had only been turned mere seconds, but it was enough time for Keets to drop a tiny piece of fingernail into the imager. The technician turned back, and apologetically closed the access panel. Keets smiled his understanding, his heart racing, and thanked the technician for his time. He left the hangar, hoping it would be enough. It's in God's hands now.

Chapter Six - His Soul Free to Soar

Lord Garrett strode to the hangar a moment later, taking his place inside the pod as his technicians connected him. The pod slowly filled with...well...goo was the best way to describe it. He remembered when he had first received his pilots license, how this process used to fascinate him. Now it was merely a chore. The hangar cleared, the ship powered up, and the doors to the launching assembly opened. The thrust forcing his ship into space was still a feeling that did excite him, as minute as it was within the goo. His sense of self flowed out, encompassing the ship. He did a quick orbit of the station before heading off to the co-ordinates his agent had given him. Simple enough job, he thought. He should have known better.

Within minutes of arriving at the Sansha base, he was making mincemeat of them. For the glory of God, of course. Lord Garrett smiled as bright lights and explosions surrounded his ship, his beams slicing through enemy vessels with ease. He didn't notice the ship uncloaking in the distance until it's fleet had landed on him. “Damn heathens” he thought, as two Rifters, a Wolf, and three Hurricanes closed on him. He barrel-rolled to the side, taking out one of the Rifters before his ship entered structure. He hit eject but his pod was tackled almost immediately. “God-” ...'damn it' is probably what he was going to say. He didn't get that far. With his pod melting around him, the neural imager whirred into action. The firing pin click-clicked, and the image was sent to the cloning facility. The whole process took only 3/1000s of a second. It should have taken 2.

Chapter Seven – Devoid of Distractions

He remembered his ship blowing apart around him. He remembered the crews' death cries. He remembered...and this was odd...he remembered dying. That was new. He felt...what was the word...? He opens his eyes. White Light. Bright. He squints as images slowly emerge. A light. That makes sense. He giggles a bit. Med-bots. Wires extending from his arm to various monitors. He can feel them on his head as well. That must have been a close one. He tries to remember more but... it was already slipping away. More images now. A tray beside the bed with a glass of water on it. A doctor. He closes his eyes. He swallows, his throat constricting, sticking. Parched. He remembers the water and opens his eyes. There, on the table. He tries to sit up. Nothing happens. Nothing. Must be all these damn wires. He goes to take the wires from his arm and can't lift it. He focuses, and tries to thrust his shoulder up. Movement. Again. Momentum, need momentum. He thrusts his shoulder up again. Again. Again. Pain. A Med-bot removes a needle from his arm as the room swims out of focus.

Thirsty.

He opens his eyes. Same light. Same Med-bot. Same Doctor. Keets. Oh thank God Keets is here. He tries to sit up, nothing happens. He glances at the Med-bot and decides not to try again. Keets can get it. He tries to speak. Keets, I'm thirsty. The Doctor and Keets turn to look at him. Yes, yes, I'm awake, I'm fine, I'm thirsty, water. What the hell is wrong with them. Don't just sit there talking about it. That's when it hit him. No sound. He couldn't hear...anything. No, wait. There was a sound there, low, far off. A sound? He concentrated further and realized it was many sounds. He tried to separate them. Isolate. He focused his eyes on the Doctor's mouth and his concentration on the sounds. It started coming to him in bits.

“...motor-function...was just....I mean, a thousandth of a second...small delay...in other words....an image of an already partially damaged...”

Keets was speaking now. “...older image?” He discovers if he looks at a blank spot on the wall, he can hear better.

“Well...tried before...psychosis...adjusting. The other problem...old company has discarded... and he hadn't had a new...yet.”

“So, those sounds...he can think okay...but he can't formulate words?”

“Yes, exactly.” The Doctor was nodding. “He just can't get his mouth to say them, I'm sure he understands every word we're saying” The Doctor flashes a smile in his direction.

Lord Garrett furrows his brow very slightly, trying to make sense of what they are talking about.

“So, that's why the Theology Council advised he be allowed to maintain his estates. His brain still works, only his body doesn't.” Inwardly, Keets smiled. He honestly could not have hoped for a better result.

“As his executor, you'll need to sign off on his release but, he's ready to go home.” The Doctor takes Keet's thumbprint on his datapad. “I'll be right back with an antigrav-chair for you.”

Lord Garrett closes his eyes. He can't figure this all out and...it's tiring.

Thirsty.

He opens his eyes again, and Keets is there. Staring at him. He looks at the glass of water, and back at Keets. He does it again, and Keets seems to understand. Keets glances at the glass of water and raises an eyebrow. Bless you Keets.

Keets picks up the water glass. “The first thing I think you'll want to do...” he says, pausing to sip the water “...is get my wife and daughter back, wouldn't you say?” Keets leans forward and tilts the glass to Garrett's lips slightly, then enough to spill it on him.

“Today, you were cleansed”