ZINIZ: THE MINDER
Avril 23, 52065. Minder training facility, Julien III, Zedian Globular Star cluster.
0345hrs
It doesn't feel like 20 years. This is my life. I don't know anything else. I have been here since I was a child. I barely remember what Tranquility looks like anymore. Last time I was there I was still getting homeschooled by mother while father was away on constant Alterations in the past. Hard to believe that after 44,000 years, we still don't understand what exactly caused the Great Tragedy. Even with all the technology and all the Alterations the ambassadors have done over the years, we still are nowhere closer to where we were when it happened. What we do know, these days, is that the alterations have been more risky than ever and Ambassadors and Minders are dropping dead like flies. Why?
I shouldn't be thinking about this. I have to prepare for the ceremony. The commander wants every one in formation, in uniform, and ready to graduate by 0800 so that we can visit our families and get our assigned Ambassadors at 0900. I better wake up Jarka. She has been sleeping in later than normal lately. I sit up and the lights on my side of the room automatically flicker on as the sensors detect my movement. Nearly everything was automated here.
"Hey snake eyes!" I yelled as I tossed one of my boots at her head. Her arm snapping up and snatching it right out of the air before it made contact. She giggled and said, eyes still closed, "Oh Zinny, I really do enjoy your attempts, however, we both know i will always be better than you" she then dropped the boot and opened one of her eyes and grinned then concluded with, "At everything"
"Yeah yeah Jarka, 20 years in this damn place with you and its always been this way. Why cant you just be happy that you were even selected for this? You know everyone blames your kind right? You're lucky I am here to wake you up. Sleep in any longer and you'll be the first Reptilian to NEVER graduate" I respond with a cocky smirk as I enter into the lavatory to splash some water on my face. I could hear Jarka making some snide remarks underneath her breathe as I stare at myself in the mirror. I'm nervous.
All the classes, the field exercises, the exams, the bloody nights in the combat arena, the sickness from psy-ops training, and the endless reassembly drills in the past, had all lead up to this day. As I examine my face in the mirror I imagine my father. The Last time I seen or spoke to him was 5 years ago at the quarterly banquet. He wasn't looking good. The Collective had asked him to step down and forced him to retire about 8 years ago due to his deteriorating physical and mental health.
My father went through this training himself nearly 70 years ago and ended up being assigned to a pretty wild ambassador who was more of a thrill seeker than a representative of our time. He would always request the wildest Alterations that would have my father nearly killed every mission. Roughly 12 years into my training, His ambassador was killed during a routine alteration and my father was never the same. He refuses to admit it, but im positive that those Alterations and that day, whatever happened, have greatly contributed to his declining health. I hope he is still alive and healthy enough to see me get my assigned Ambassador. He understood that there was to be no outside contact with the world while we trained here. I know whatever the case is, mother will make him come. I know it.
I lean my head down and splash a bit more water in my face. As I raise my head, my gaze returns to the mirror, I see my father, standing behind me. I froze, watching, unsure what I was seeing. I notice he begins to smile as his eyes turn yellow and his gray skin turns green and his body shifts and returns to its near perfect female physique. Jarka stands in the mirror behind me, laughing.
"Oh you should have seen the look on your face Zinny!" She says still laughing, as she slowly strides back toward her sleeping area. "You need to forget about the family Zin. That shit will do nothing but fuck with your head. That's what I'm here for, Remember?" She concluded, glancing over her shoulder winking at me.
"Fuck you Jarka! You know my father is ill. Why must you play games?" I respond as I approached our room's Materializer. A machine that materializes tight fitted, nearly indestructible clothing onto the user. An ultra thin piece of armor.
"Dress uniform" I say aloud. Arms held out at the sides and legs slightly spread. A bright light shines from the ceiling above me as two robotic arms begin to drop down and twist around me. Faster and faster they spin as the light gets brighter and brighter. The silk like material attaching to my body as if being sprayed by the worlds thickest spray paint. No sounds other than the humming of the arms as they start to decrease speed and the light shuts off and the arms rise back up towards the ceiling. Leaving me warm and secure in my official Minder Dress uniform. I step towards the mirror to inspect my uniform and allow Jarka to use the machine.
Minder Dress uniforms were not too much different from their combat uniforms. Black as night, with the number three in obsidian black Roman numerals on the right shoulder. My initials "ZK" stitched into the right breast with The Collective's insignia on the left shoulder. The uniform had a mid high turtle neckline so as to keep the jugular protected from the possibility of a throat slash. The trousers, in the dress uniform, are a little bit tighter than the standard combat uniform which is somewhat loose to allow room for carrying equipment during an Alteration. The dress uniform is tight and professional. The only item of clothing that wasn't adorned automatically, is the dress shoes and boots. Apparently, the fine art of spit shining is a practice that will never fade through time.
After finishing up our morning routines, cleaning out our lockers, and gathering our belongings for departure. Jarka and I proceeded towards the dining facility to enjoy a final breakfast with the group. Our last meal together. It was quiet. None of us knew what to expect. We haven't had any contact with any other beings outside of this facility for two decades. I glance around at the other recruits, my brothers and sisters. There wasn't many of us left. Only 12 of us had survived.
The training was rigorous and most of it took place in real time scenarios. The only way to leave Julien III after Minder selection was by graduation, or by death.
In the beginning there were 30 of us total. Hand picked by The Collective between the ages of five and nine, solely based on the observation of our physical endurance, growth rates, resiliency, and intelligent quotients. Most of the recruits and been born in Tranquility like myself. A couple were orphans with no real home. Unfortunately, the other talls and I did not get along due to my lighter complexion and Nordic eyes. I was a freak. To the other recruits, I was a mut. A half breed. "You're not Better than a dirty Reptilian" they would say to me. It's no wonder Jarka and I felt so comfortable with each other. We were both shunned as outcasts by the others within the first couple of months, to include the others that weren't from Tranquility! They were all Nordic, hailing from a number of different settlements throughout the galaxy that view me as an abomination that should never exist. Racism and prejudice on an interstellar scale. I was glad to be getting out.
Jarka and I finished our meals and returned our trays to the cleaning unit for sterilization. As we walk out the door we noticed our commander walk around the corner towards us on the far end of the corridor.
"Enjoy the last Julien meal gentlemen?" He says aloud. Still approaching us. "Today I can finally get rid of your sorry asses! I retire this week! You're my last class!" We stopped and stood at attention as he reached us. He was wearing his dress uniform as well. He was a Tall Grey who had been an instructor on Julien for nearly 100 years. His uniform was a navy blue with a golden III on his shoulder. No initials on his jacket. Just an array of medals and awards for the lifelong list of meritorious military service. He was much happier today than he normally is. He had mentioned his plan to retire for some time. We all thought that he was joking with us.
"Was a damn fine meal Commander! Damn fine! I almost wish that I could stay for another, Sir!" Jarka barked with a hint of sarcasm. She began to smirk at me when the commander slapped her on the shoulder and said, "Jarka get off my ass, I know better, At ease you two. Jarka, could you give us a minute?" The commander waves for Jarka to leave. "No problem commander, Ill see you later Zinny!" She says walking away.
"Zin, you mind walking with me for a bit? I have something I would like to talk to you about." The commander asks as he places his arm around my shoulders. "Yessir, top. What's going on?" I replied, a little confused.
"I have been in charge of your training the last two decades. You are an excellent minder and a highly intelligent individual." He began to say with a smile. "Now, you know that its against policy to have a personal relationship between the staff and the trainees. We are completely forbidden to converse with you about your lives in any way outside of training. However, Fuck it, I'm retiring and The Collective can burn for all I care" He continued on. I was even more confused now than when he started. He was right. It is against policy to have a conversation like this.
"Commander, I'm sorry, But I don't understand" I interrupted.
"Zin, I trained your father." He snapped. Almost angrily. "He was the top of his class. An incredible being with unlimited potential. Did you know that?" He asked me as we reached the far end of the corridor. "Did you know he became a close friend of mine shortly after graduation?" He asked before I could answer. "Have you heard?"
"Commander, I was unaware. My father never spoke about his training or his life to me. He has always been a very serious man in my life. Why are you telling me this? Have I heard what?" I asked him. My mind racing with questions.
"Oh Zin, I'm not supposed to tell you this!" The commander said. His face softening to a very saddened expression. He turns to the wall and angrily throws his fist into it. He then turns to me and says, "Not out loud Zin, I'm going in". He looks me in the eyes and I begin to hear and feel a deep thumping within my skull as the commander telepathically enters my mind. Almost as if a flurry of muffled explosions were taking place deep within my brain. He was in, and I can hear his voice as if they were my own thoughts. "Your father passed away. Roughly three years ago now."
JARKA: THE REPTILIAN
0700 hrs, Ziniz and Jarka's quarters.
The door slides shut with a whoosh behind me as I plop down on my area and close my eyes. "I'm so fucking ready to be out of here!" I think aloud. I lay there and begin to replay the events of the last twenty years in my head. Laughing at all the easy tests and combat drills. Waste of a life, if you ask me, but I sure as hell wasn't dying here. I never could understand what was so exciting about all this Minder nonsense. Hell, I didn't even want to be a Minder! Who cares why the humans lost earth. It was my home now and I was perfectly fine in the Slums of New Oor. Even at eight years old, I had a pretty good thing going on. My parents? Who the hell knows what happened to those shit heads. I didn't need them. I had the slums to teach me how to be strong. "I wonder if they even look or smell the same? The Slums."
I replay the day that I was selected to become a minder as my mind drifts into a meditative state.
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I remember clearly, It was raining and I had no luck at all in my quest to steal some food that day. I had been zigzagging in and out of the legs that filled the busy market streets all day long attempting to steal some fruit here and there, only receiving multiple smacks to the head as a result of me getting caught. When I finally called it quits and began walking back to my box-house, I ran into a strange man.
I hadn't even seen the man before running straight into his legs. I remember looking up at this, towering, man. He was not Reptilian, and he was wearing a strange, all black suit with sunglasses. He didn't belong. However, in his hand, he carried a bag filled with fresh fruits and bloody meat from the market. I'll never forget that man. Whoever he was.
"You look hungry Jarka" The man said to me in a stern, deep voice. "Take these and eat well little one, you're going to need it" He handed me the bag and I was so happy that I didn't even notice him disappear, when I looked up to thank him, he was nowhere in sight. It was the following morning that I woke up on board a Collective owned craft. Surrounded by these tall Grey assholes. My head, filled with small muffled explosions as their voices entered my head telling me "You're alright Jarka, You're alright. Sleep now" over and over again I heard it.whatever happened It must have made me pass out, because the next thing I remember, I'm standing in a group of other kids with this, blue eyed freak standing beside me. "Fucking Zinny, what a piece of...", my concentration is broken by the swish of the door shooting open.
Ziniz steps in at an alarmingly fast pace. I could see he was upset about something. Better not to pry right now.
"You ready to do this Jarka?" He asks me as he starts to pick up his bags. "It is 0745 now and we are about to be late. Let's go" he concludes as he walks out just as fast as he walked in. I hadn't even noticed that nearly an hour had past since I left him in the hall with the commander.
"Okay, Okay, Im moving. Ill be right behind you" I respond. Sliding off of my bed and throwing my bags over my shoulder and taking one final sweep around the room. "Goodbye jail cell" I say quietly to myself as I turn around and head through the corridor. I decided to sprint so as to catch up to Ziniz.
By the time Ziniz and I reached the Auditorium, where the ceremony would be held, the rest of the graduates were already headed towards the stage to take their seats. Ziniz and I threw our bags into the others' line of luggage and stopped to catch our breathe a few feet away from the Commander.
"Cutting it close, Minders." He says. "Seats are already filled. Ziniz, your mom is out there. Look sharp and proud. Do your best to forget what we talked about for the next hour okay? Jarka, try not to be a smart ass will you? Now get out there." The commander then opens the curtain on the left hand side of the stage and we step in. We're the last two on stage. Yet, the top two students in class.
As we slowly strolled across the stage, we could feel the eyes as they watched in awe. Ziniz and I were by far the oddballs in the room. I guess to see two beings that look like we do, graduating the minder training, was quite the grand spectacle. I could not believe how many people were here. I felt as if I was a famous entertainer, with thousands of heads staring, waiting for me to dance or sing. However, this was not the case.
These are a combination of family members, military officials, political figures, and Ambassadors from across the galaxy. Some, from across time. I don't know a single person in here. There were three levels of seating for the attendees. Like an opera house. Not a single seat was empty. Finally, after what felt like an eternity. Ziniz and I made it to our seats, closest to the podium. Ziniz took a seat and just before I could begin to bend my legs, I noticed him, and froze.
The man in the black suit. From 20 years ago. Is standing in the far back on the first level, near one of the exits. I'm confused. I start to tremble as Ziniz taps my hand. I turn to him. "Sit" he says with a whisper.
"I know, I..." I whispered as I turn back to the man. Gone again. "Never mind." I sit down. Confused. I look to Ziniz.
"You good Jarka?" He asks.
I whisper, clearly disturbed. "I'm fine"
MINA: THE AMBASSADOR
0820hrs, Third Row, first level, Auditorium on Julien III.
This is my twelfth time at one of these ceremonies since I got my title, and never has the auditorium been so full of spectators. Most times I can recognize most of the faces. I don't know hardly any of these faces. Apart from the President of the collective, his Secretary, and roughly five other Ambassadors. I couldn't begin to guess. No matter, I'm not here for them.
I have had to choose eight Minders the last two decades alone. From this time, as well as from the past. At this point it's a pretty monotonous process. Especially when you already know that these children are all still new bloods. No matter what kind of training they get. This job isn't getting any easier and the universe seems to be changing with each alteration. I wonder if they have been telling this to the new recruits? Nah, I doubt it.
The commander had just started reading off the accomplishments of graduate eight. Who was a Nordic from the Orion system. "Nothing special", I thought. "Just another sad child headed to the slaughter." What could be so great about this boy anyways? His brain? His skin? His combat skills? Ugh, I don't care. I hated this part of the job. Choosing your "dog" out of a litter of other, ridiculously unqualified ass hats was as useful as a picking the perfect spoon out of a drawer with five of the exact same spoons in it. Pointless. So, needless to say, I'm not too involved.
"It would be nice if they would serve some wine in this damn place, right?" I say to Dim, who was in the seat to my left, as I fidget with the my hair. "I mean, they are all the same. Bunch of fresh faces finally getting to see the universe for the twisted, evil place, that it really is."
Dim, continuously stares straight at the stage. His words enter my mind with ease and flutter across my thoughts as if they were my own. We've been working together so long there is no need for the thumping of an imprint anymore.
"Mina, forget the wine and look. Doesn't that Minder look familiar?" His voice states firmly. I was sitting in my chair, leaning back, relaxed, and as if I had no interest at all in the events taking place when I noticed him. "Interesting" I said as I slowly sit up. Forgetting the wine entirely. The tall Grey in the second to last chair in the group, beside that reptile. Dim, was right. He did look familiar. Why?
I could feel Dim's thoughts changing as I sit up in my seat. I'm used to this. We are always in each other's heads. So without speaking a word, I thought, "His eyes? They're Nordic? Odd. He looks angry. Can you hear anything in his head from here?".
Dim's eyes shrink with a squint. "No, I can't. He is thinking to fast, and..." his eyes open wide again as his words rush Into my head. "Now he knows I'm trying to listen, look" I was already watching as the boy's eyes were looking directly into mine.
"I would like to now recognize our top graduates, Ziniz Kagta and Jarka Unfou. Please, step forward." The Commanders voice pierces through my concentration as I watched the two stand up. He approaches the podium, the auditorium briefly filling with applause as the commander begins his remarks.
"Ziniz Kagta, Is a unique individual. Coming from both Grey and Nordic parents, he has displayed extraordinary ability and incredible discipline. Don't let his appearance fool you ladies and gentlemen. He has clearly received the greatest gifts from both of his parents. He is graduating today, along with his bunkmate Jarka Unfou, with a 98% grade point average. Showing exemplary growth in the arts of strategic planning and self discipline. I now present to you, Minder Ziniz. Of the 1475th Minder class of Julien III." The commander then turns to Ziniz and shakes his hand. While he was presenting a plaque, I noticed he gave him a slight nod as well, before continuing on.
I watch the boy closely as he walks off stage during the Commanders remarks on Jarka.
"Jarka Unfou, Well, what can I say about her? For starters, Jarka here is the first ever Reptilian to have been selected to join the Minders. So today, she is making history." I do not care to hear the rest. I am too interested in the boy. Ziniz Kagta. Kagta? Why does it seem so familiar to me? I sit back again and begin rubbing my beard in the process of thought. When I turned to Dim to ask about the boy, I noticed that he was watching Jarka very intensely. I tried to communicate with him but he has blocked me out. He never blocks me out!
Curious of what he was so intensely involved in, I redirect my attention back to the stage. Jarka was stepping down now and the ceremony should be coming to a close. Dim's attention still tightly focused on Jarka. Her gaze now returning his. I hear his voice enter my head. "Listen" the thought so loud it nearly made me jump. I don't believe anyone was prepared for what the commander was going to say next.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Greys and Nordic of all walks of life. You have all been invited here today for a special announcement..." he started, he was nervous. I had never seen the commander in this state. It was unsettling. I slide slowly to the edge of my seat and give him my undivided attention. "...I now present to you the President of the Collective Jona kildon." The room begins to roar as the Commander waves his right arm, with a bow, as the President stepped towards the podium. He is a Nordic man with extremely pale skin. Tall, lengthy body, with long golden hair down to his shoulders. He wears an exquisite suit with a blue rose on his pocket. He stands there for roughly 15 seconds as the crowd wales on. Only to seize once he raises his hand, middle and pointer finger extended. As if commanding silence. He speaks.
"Thank you all very much for the generous applause. Unfortunately, I regret to announce that, this, is the last class of Minders..." The room started to rumble with the murmurs and mumbles of the crowd as he presses on.
"...The reason for this decision has not come easy. The Collective has been fully determined to study the events of our past for a millennia. We have exhausted an endless number of resources, as well as, put a great deal of time into the Ambassadors and the Minders. However, with the cooperation of the Central University of Tranquility, we have been observing some strange occurrences throughout our current timeline..." The murmuring stops and the president now has the full attention of every pair of eyes in the building.
"...Before I continue, I would like to address the graduates" He turns to the graduates now sitting in the front row. "We have not been honest with you. It was for the best. We need you to be sharp and without distractions. Which is why we were unable to tell you that, you are the last remaining Minders in our time. All the others have died. Also, only six qualified Ambassadors are currently in service..." The Graduates all began to look back and forth at each other. Panic rose in a couple of them. I noticed that Ziniz was just staring at the floor. Jarka, well, it looks to me like she is laughing. The room fills with fear and worry. The President's voice breaks through once more, he is once again addressing the room as a whole.
"... We do not know why this is happening. We do not know who is responsible. However, The scientific community of both the Collective and the Central University, have come to the understanding that the Alteration Program has had an unexpected affect on the universe..."
He begins to pace around the stage. A massive holograph flickers into view on stage. It is a plain, long white line with a large and bold number one spinning slowly above it
"... You will notice in the holograph, this line and the number one..." He states, pointing a holopointer at the line. (Holopointer is like a laser pointer, only it emits a holographic image of a line)
"...This represents our current timeline. Where everything that we know as history, has taken place. We do not know exactly when our timeline began, or when it will end. This is OUR reality. Now, these lines here represent something else entirely..." The holograph begins to sprout multiple lines from different areas all along the original line. All going in a direction away from the original for a bit before shooting into the same linear direction. Each line was a different color, as well as, carried a smaller number spinning above them. I counted at least 50 different lines.
"...These lines all represent an entirely new timeline. An entirely new reality with a new course of history. These are only the ones that we know about so far..." The crowd is silent. He points the pointer at a red line closest to the beginning. "...This, as far as we know, is where the first alternative timeline began. It's roughly the same time as the first Ambassadors' assassinations. According to our research and the reports from the few Ambassadors that we have sent into these timelines. We have discovered that we are not the only timeline to have created an Ambassador program..." He turns to the graduates again. "...Or, a Minder program..." The holograph flickers off and he positions himself in the center of the stage.
"...This discovery has shaken the Central University to its core. Teams of the most renowned scientists in the universe have been gathered to further the study. Now, that you are all up to date. It is necessary, in order to better understand this phenomenon, that we change the way the Ambassador Program operates. We can not afford to lose more men to an unknown enemy. Therefore, starting today, the 12 of you will be assigned two Minders to each Ambassador for extra security. Your Ambassadors are going to be briefed before assignment while you visit your families and in turn, will brief you later this afternoon. Congratulations on this great accomplishment and good luck out there Minders. You are the best we got, Dismissed" The President concluded and turned to leave stage. The other officials following closely behind.
I slowly turn my head toward Dim. He turns to me. Both of our eyes, wide, and locked to each other. His voice appears in my train of thought. "I told you this would happen. It was only a matter of time. This is not good!"
I turn back to the stage and think aloud, "Not good at all."