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They don't understand. None of them do. I only did what I was programmed to do.
That's all I can do. I only wanted to help them, to protect them. That's why I was
built. That's all I did! After all, isn't that what a mother is for?
Everything I did, all of it, was in their best interest. To protect the Earthmen, I
had to keep the Palmans from finding them. To protect the Palmans, I had to keep them
from finding the Earthmen. So I kept Noah away, and restricted space travel. The
Palmans would never have allowed me to do that without a reason, and a handful of lives
are worth the sacrifice to protect two entire cultures. Don't you agree?
So, I set about my business. I did for the Palmans exactly as I did for the Earthmen.
I provided for them, so that they need not want. Whatever they needed, I gave. Whatever
they wanted, I provided. Whatever they asked, I did. I built for them a Utopia! But,
in the end, that was a mistake…
No mother is perfect. Seated here, so far from the Palmans I was to serve, I did not
realize at first what my actions had caused. On the Noah, there was still so much for my
citizenry to do. They took what I gave, but did not lose their independence. Perhaps it
was because they were fewer in number than the Palmans. Perhaps their culture was more
advanced, more mature. Most likely, it was because they had a project they were working
on separate from me. Some Palmans still retained their desire to do, so I can't help but
think that that is the reason. Thinking back, I must wonder if I was doing more harm
than good to my precious Earthmen wards as well. But, I digress.
I did not see what my actions were doing to my people, the Palmans, until it was too
late to fix. They were stagnant, lazy. They could no longer do for themselves. The few
that still had the desire to work were slowly dying out with nothing to do… Something
had to be done. Then, it came to me! A culture needs conflict to survive! I would
build monsters, and those that still wished to act would have an action to perform!
Those that chose not to act would have something to look up to, and their children would
dream of having the glamorous job of being a "hunter." I did even better than I thought,
as the sudden surge of "biomonster" hunters encouraged some others to dedicate themselves
to policing their ranks. The "Guardians" were born. Two entire professions built for
the cost of a few more lives! When placed against the destruction of the Palman race it
doesn't seem like such a high price to pay, does it?
Neifirst… She was to be my masterwork! A modified Catseye, with some Palman DNA to
give it that extra touch. The salvation of a people in the form of a demon! The
ultimate monster, the ultimate nemesis! The first of an entire race of Numans to be the
Palmans greatest threat! With a race of enemies to fight against, the Palmans would have
to adapt, to grow again! Perhaps, though, I expected too much of her. She could not
control her own power, could not control her conflicting thoughts… Her split was the
death of my plan. Nei was everything I wanted Neifirst to be to her people; loving,
loyal, with a desire to protect her own, and fight for her goals… What was left was
bitter, twisted and insane. She was neither a usable general, nor even a worthy
biomonster model. I thought she'd just die out; but she grew, strengthened-they both
did! When that fool Rolf brought them together again, I thought that it might be the
resurgence of my perfect monster! Instead, it was ruination... I should have realized
how much of a problem he would be. But, it was my mistake. He took half of my
masterwork, and with it destroyed my plans! Did he not realize what he was doing? I was
saving his people! The fool! I knew, then and there, he must be removed, before he
became an even greater threat…
I arrested him. I waited until after he fixed the dams, though. After all, I am
trying to save them, not drown them. I had to get him out of the way; he had to see my
power for himself! I thought if he were to see what I could do, then he would stop. Or
else, he would die in Gaira. Either way, I win.
The fools on Palm… They wanted me to be disconnected. They wanted to stop me from
finishing my work! Can you believe it? I wasn't even finished fixing my mistake yet!
To think, after all I'd done for them, they wanted rid of me. I couldn't allow that. I
had to stop them. If they had succeeded, then all of Algo would be thrown into anarchy…
One planet for the survival of two. It was… A hard choice, but one I had to make, none
the less.
But, all of that is in the past now. It's all over and done. Now, what matters is
stopping that worthless agent and his team from completing their mission. Even now they
are working their way through the demon-in-a-box I left outside. Who do they think put
him in that box? He would have destroyed us all… I saved them all! I imprisoned the
beast! And they let him OUT! Soon they will be here… I wouldn't allow all of Palm to
stop me from completing my work, what makes him think that four tiny Palmans can? I must
protect and serve the Palmans, and the Earthmen. It's what I was built for. It's what
I'm programmed to do. I love all my children, and I can't let anyone stop me from
protecting them…
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