The sun was rising on the new day of Debris. Jason’s men ate their breakfast as the captured scouts watched on. It had been several years since they had eaten good food. Before the young man had risen to power they’d not been able to afford anything and were forced to live off the land which they had been trained to do during their time in the service on Earth, but that was about eating to survive, not making delicious gourmet meals that could satisfy their stomachs and taste buds. After the young man came, they had hoped that with the increase in the level of technology and a Human coming to power they’d be able to get some better grub, but things only got worse. Hunting animals became a crime punishable by death, credits and any ARMS became illegal to privately possess, and any time that anyone earned any, which they were forced to, the young man ordered that they be turned over immediately. The only thing that became better as a result of the young man taking over was that they were insured that they would not starve. The governors of every city provided free rations to every citizen and told their subjects that it was a gift from their god. None could argue with what was happening because it was true that, unlike in the past, every citizen had 3 meals a day and were well looked after. No one would die of starvation or simply treated ailments, but they also couldn’t do anything to improve their situation. Every bit of effort went towards the church or the empire, which were truly just different names for the same thing, to expand and make it grow stronger, presumably with the end goal of making everyone’s life better in the long run, but one cannot simply ignore the impulse to get ahead, to stand out and hold some power or marvel that no others or few could attain.

These veterans naturally thought that the situation was intolerable, not because they couldn’t handle it, but because it went directly against what they had fought so hard for. They saw the consequences of conspicuous actions so they chose to bide their time and slowly raise up in power. The young man had set his eyes on building an empire. To do that he needed an army and experienced people. They could use this to their advantage to rise up through the ranks, grow closer, and one day while he least expected it, end the reign of this madman and lead these people back to a just world. What they hadn’t anticipated was that minor privileges would warp their minds. When they joined the military they were given real food. Less healthy and disgusting, but it was real and a special privilege that was different than the bland synthetic rations. As they ranked up they were given more privileges and access to more ARMS technology. To the citizenry these upgrades in ranks and privileges were ostentatious, but in reality the upgrades were minor, improving their abilities just enough to feel like a difference and no more. And privileges, they were a trap. They got better food and housing but nothing that they’d consider remotely palettable in their former lives. Of course, the real trick is that with greater rank came greater ability to do whatever they will to those of the lower ranks. Had the higher ranks simply been given the right to do whatever to the lower ranks there might have been full scale rebellion. They were willing to tolerate unlimited abuses from their god, because it was a blessing, but from other mortals not so much. Even if a person of higher rank had been allowed to do a given thing to a lower rank, at some point surely their god would not approve of every one of their actions, so there had to be rules. Yes, you could take any person to be a mate, but you may only take some given number based on your rank. Sure, you kill as you felt, but only so many over some such time as determined by your rank. They were rules to give power, but restrict it just enough. This was to give the soldiers the idea that they had freedom while most normal people would never use these freedoms. Whether they did or did not wasn’t really the point. The idea was to twist the thinking of the soldiers from believing that such acts were reprehensible and should never be tolerated to the belief that they had this power and could use it however they liked. No one would stop them. If they wanted more, they just had to climb up in ranks. It was simple and devious, especially with these veterans from Earth. There they had been used and tossed out, but here they were given special treatment that ensured that they would be appreciated for their service. And if someone deemed not to celebrate their deeds done for the betterment of all, well, they had the power to strike them down with all the justice this new empire granted them to dole out.

All of the conditioning that the soldiers had gone through to accept that they were acting for the good of their people and that the power they wielded in the name of their god was absolute began to crumble the moment that scouts’ eyes opened and they saw the breakfast meal Jason’s men were feasting upon, the scent of so many wonderful flavours wafting through the air and entering their noses to make them salivate. They were clearly being tortured they believed. There is no way that these men were able to feast on such abundance so readily. It had to be some kind of trick that was being played on them. For what reason they couldn’t say, but that mentality cracked when they saw that they too had been given plates of food to eat. Their training from their military training told them that there was a good chance it was poisoned, but before their conscious mind caught up with their instincts they had already consumed the majority of the portion they had been allotted and as the taste and the fulfillment registered in their minds they broke. Tears came streaming down each and every one of the scouts’ faces. It wasn’t that they never ate something so delicious in their life, they had ate plenty better in fact, but it was the sudden realization of what they had become for so little.

Jason had intended to speak with the captives after they had a bite to eat so that he could gather up a small bit more information about what to expect, but after he saw their reactions he decided to let them be. They were of no mind to have a chat with anyone, let alone anyone. He would have to make due with the details that he had. Not wanting to waste the time that he had set aside for his conversations he sat down with the rest of the army. He was nervous about the events of the day, but chatting with his men over a hearty breakfast relaxed him. No one would have suspected this is what he was doing though. He had grown a lot since the kid that he was some years ago back in the world of high school, but no matter how much one matures, at their past experiences remain at their core, informing them. You can put on a good face and hide weakness often, but weak points will always be soft spots, more easily exploited than other areas if one knows they exist. The people that surrounded Jason today, they didn’t know anything of what he used to be. They’d only met him on Debris, and most long after he’d developed a hard facade, able to inspire confidence and end the greatest of threats. Many might even be fearful of him if not for his personable disposition. He wasn’t worried about it. He just ate his breakfast and chatted away with troops. When he finished Jason was going to take another go at communicating with the scouts.

Approaching the first of the scouts proved to be useless. They were distraught, unable to be coaxed into speaking about anything. The second of the scouts was not much better, unable to do anything other than mutter inconsolably. Jason couldn’t make out what the scout was on about, only that they were attempting to justify actions that they’d taken in the past to themself. Jason just continued down the line, hoping that at least one would be calm enough to talk to him. Eventually, he came across one that was sitting silently, appearing to be meditating. beyond the calm demeanor this scout stood out from the others. The others all had hard and rough features, fitting of veteran soldiers. They didn’t look like the type of people to break, but here they were, broken. This scout, however, looked soft, not because they weren’t fit, but rather, it was because they were a woman that looked more like a fitness model than a soldier. Moreover, it didn’t look like she was very much older than Jason himself nor did she look like she had been in much combat. She didn’t seem to have a single scar on her. Of course, it wasn’t like there were very many places that she could be hiding them either. With the ARMS devices they had been using being deactivated all of the scouts were forced to sit naked and chained to posts.

“Miss?” jason said, attempting to get the female scout’s attention.

The woman took in a deep breath in and released it. Her eyes opened. They scanned over Jason without saying a word. She waited, staring at him with fierce eyes, for him to continue and tell her what he wanted with her.

Seeing that the woman was at least responsive Jason proceeded with his interrogation, “Are you ok? Seem to be in a better mindset than your compatriots.”

“They’re old and demented. What do you expect?” she shot back.

“If you say so. I don’t know who you all are. What I do know is that you were found sneaking around our campsite last night. That usually doesn’t indicate friendly intentions.”

“Neither does making camp near someone else's'.”

“True,’ Jason stepped forward and offered his hand to her in greeting, “I’m Jason, and these are my troops. We’re from the Free Nation. We were coming to see what happened to the city that was where you guys are currently camped.”

The woman smirked with a dismissive chuckle, but she still took the offered hand, “And what do you plan to do if you don’t like the answers you find?”

“Can’t make a plan without knowing anything about who you’re up against. You gonna tell me who you are?”

“Depends. What are you going to do with me?”

“Is there a reason I shouldn’t let you all go?”

The woman grinned, “In this world…”

“We’re not barbarians.”

“You may not be but we’ve become no better than animals with technology.”

The male scout next to the female scout suddenly burst out angrily, “Bitch! The Krizian Empire is supreme. Lord god will punish you wench!”

Jason listened to the angry scout before turning back to the woman, “It seems he disagrees with you.”

She shrugged, “He’s lost his mind. Maybe he was an honorable man once. Maybe we were all good people, but its been years and no matter how good a person we once were we are are all at least a little culpable for the mess.”

Jason took a step back and considered what the woman said wondering just what had these people done that had resulted in these people breaking this bad. Even the woman who seemed completely sane to Jason gave him the feeling that somewhere inside her, she had been broke long ago and the scars that weren’t on her body had been upon her soul.