text: [Themes: sci-fi]
  
  You can tell Dobbs is getting skittish about messing around with the machine, so you decide to take over.
  "Um sir, I really don't think you should start pressing buttons..."
  "Quiet private, I'm taking the risks here...well what's this?"
  
  Your ingenious process of pressing buttons until something happens has activated a hologram of some sort. The hologram image is that of a humanoid. You've never seen what race it's based on though.
  
  "Xgeehti! Sathayi egawah tylageti!" the hologram says. You don't know what that means, but it looks agitated though.
  "Sir, we should get out of here, this hologram might be activating self defense systems!"
  "Lagxet... Language process identified....Who are you people? I don't recognize your species, are you yet another genetically designed slave for the Xont? They must be losing their touch, because you look pretty unimpressive. Though that blue female looks like she shows promise. And why have I been off line for so long? Wasn't the outbreak under control?"
  "Outbreak?" you ask.
  "Yes! The outbreak! I told them that they should take special precautions with the new germ weapon they were working on, but do they listen? No! They're the galaxy rulers, they think they're invincible, they know better than some hologram. Hey what happened to this place?" the hologram scans the dead bodies in the room and the carcass in the doorway and starts to realize that things have changed. "Erm, are the Xont still in charge of this facility?"
  "No, this is an ancient ruin for all intents and purposes. The Xont have long since disappeared. And up until now, they were considered a legend of some sort." You reply.
  "Oh I assure you they were very real. Though I can honestly say, they were hardly worthy of legend status. Hmm, I guess now I know why I was off line for so long then." The hologram states seemingly unworried about how much time has passed. "What race are you?" the hologram asks.
  "I'm human."
  "What a dreadful name."
  "SIR, we need to get out of here NOW!" Dobbs says and grabs you.
  "Private Dobbs, you will calm down this instant!" Alyssa shouts back at him.
  He looks very distressed; he's convinced that staying here will result in something very bad.
  
  > Stay
  "Private Dobbs, calm the fuck down! Nothing is going to..."
  "You know he's displaying all signs of the sickness." The hologram states.
  "What?" you ask.
  "The sickness. I remember when the outbreak first occurred; some of the scientists here started acting like him. I've never analyzed your race before, but his temperature, brain waves and blood levels are severely different from yours."
  "YOU'LL NEVER LEARN THE SECRETS HERE! DIE IN THE NAME OF THE XONT!" Dobbs screams and attacks you with his knife! You manage to react in time and dodge the blow. You follow up with a couple of stabs to his gut; Alyssa immediately grabs him and slits his throat. It takes awhile, but he finally dies. After this unexpected attack, the hologram speaks once again.
  
  "Well I guess the Xont would've considered that a successful result of their experiment."
  "Okay what the hell were Xont working on here and what do you mean by success?" you demand.
  "Oh they were working on many things actually, but they were doing a lot of research on mind control, and how it could best be implemented. The germ weapon I referred to earlier was one of their experiments. It was designed to infect other races with the "Xont way of thinking." so they wouldn't have to worry about rebellions cropping up on the worlds they conquered. What a spectacular failure that was..."
  "My team came in here and some of us felt strange, myself especially, but we seemed to have shaken the feeling. And while I felt a lot more hostile, but I didn't feel like a servant of the Xont." You say.
  "Well, I just said it was a spectacular failure! The problem with germs is they're unpredictable and always changing! One might affect one person one way, might affect another very differently! Now take hundreds of different races into the equation and you have a recipe for disaster! I told them they should stick with technology; little obedience chips in the currency. Everyone likes money, everyone uses it and Xont currency was wide spread throughout the galaxy."
  "I think we came across some of those coins." You say.
  "Oh really? Well I'm sure the effect on you was minimal. I never got the chance to perfect them considering the idea was shot down before I could really get the project started! I only made a few test prototypes, and those were distanced linked to a power source in this facility. So I imagine they only started affecting you until you started getting closer to this place. You wouldn't happen to have them still would you?"
  "No I destroyed them."
  "What?! Well I can see my work isn't appreciated today either! Ah it's just as well anyway, you said the Xont were gone, who's going to be using the currency anymore?"
  
  The hologram seems friendly enough if a little odd, you could keep asking it questions, or you could attempt to destroy it, if you think it could still be dangerous.
  
  > keep asking questions
  "I have some more questions."
  "I'm sure you do. Very well, it's not like I have anything better to do." it replies.
  
  > stop asking questions
  "That's all I need to know for now."
  "Okay then, I have a question, what are you planning to do?"
  "What do you mean?" you ask.
  "Well specifically I mean what do you plan to do with me?"
  "I haven't decided yet...can you leave this facility?"
  "Not on my own, I can't stray too far from my power source, if I tried to leave, I'd probably disappear and given the deterioration over time, I probably can't even leave this room now. I don't want to die, but I don't really relish the idea of being a prisoner here all by myself. As narrow-minded as the Xont were at least I had someone to talk to."
  "Isn't there someway to transport your program?"
  "I doubt you have the means, you wouldn't be able to just download me into whatever computers you may have. I was designed by Xont technology and I'll only work in their systems, you'd have to use something similar to put the storage device on or find a working Xont holo-emitter."
  "Is there one of those here?"
  "There was, but I don't know where it might be, let alone if it still works. There could be one in the underground level"
  "There's an underground level?"
  "Of course, you didn't think this place was just one level did you? The Xont always liked building underground rather than up. I'd be careful if you decide to go down there, it could be completely safe, but they were doing some secret experiments that even I wasn't allowed to know about, so who knows what's still lingering down there. You may be putting yourself at great risk, you sure your Empire is worth it?"
  "What do you mean?"
  "I'm not an idiot, the only possible reason why you're entertaining the idea of transporting me out of here, is so you can gain whatever information I can give you and your Empire, or whatever you call your system of government. No doubt to gain an advantage over your enemies and rule the galaxy. Time may have passed, but I know some things never change."
  "If you think that, why help us?"
  "A sense of being useful? Purpose? Perhaps I've grown too cynical to care, but it's better than being stuck here. I had to put up with the Xont for centuries. Your race cannot possibly be worse. It is ultimately up to you, what you want to do."
  
  > seek out the holo-emitter
  "We're here now, we might as well, go look for it."
  "Very well, I wish I could be of more help, but I'm afraid in my current status I can only wish you luck." The hologram says and then describes what the emitter looks like so you'll know what to look for.
  
  You and Alyssa head in the direction the Hologram gave and eventually reach an elevator. You both enter, and wait for it to take you down. You might not be in any danger, and you've been in worse situations than this, but you feel the need to tell Alyssa something.
  
  "Alyssa, if we don't get out of this I just want you to know that..."
  
  She stops you.
  
  "Captain, if there's anything down there, we'll be able to handle it. And you don't need to tell me, I already know."
  
  The elevator door opens ending the conversation, and you both exit.
  
  After much exploring there's no indication that anything living is down here, you were worried for nothing fortunately. After searching countless rooms with research notes and devices you have no idea what they do, you eventually come across what you were looking for. You grab the emitter, which is a lot smaller than you thought and leave.
  
  Upon reaching the ground floor, you see the Silver Sentinels, apparently they've exterminated all the tentacled beast, but you still aren't carrying your guns so they continue to perceive you as harmless. They patrol by and you hurry back to the Hologram.
  
  "Well, hello again, and I see you have the emitter! It wasn't too much trouble I hope."
  "None at all actually, nothing down there, except a lot of weird looking devices and research notes."
  "Hmm, yes while you were gone I was overriding the computer system to see what the hell they were working on, interesting stuff I must say. And actually somewhat original, I didn't know they had it in them. They never did get to test all their ideas out of course though, what with the outbreak occurring, well I guess your Empire will get that honor. I just hope they're wiser with playing god than the Xont were. Well I'm ready to be downloaded, you ready? I'll tell you how to work it so you don't accidentally destroy me."
  
  > Download
  You download the Hologram into the emitter and then turn it on. Success! He pops up.
  
  "I don't sense any memory loss, so I'm all here. Hmm, I'm a little smaller now, and I don't nearly have as much maneuverability, being stuck on this thing, I'll have to tell you scientists to remedy that!" he says and you shut him off and exit the structure.
  
  As you exit the structure, you see dead Elojin and a few of your team members, apparently they thought you'd all get killed inside and they'd pick up the pieces. When you get to the Lizard village your team looks relieved to see you and you show them what you found.
  
  When the Empire ships arrive you explain what happened and show them the Hologram. They're VERY impressed. So much in fact they don't even care about the mind control business you experienced. They make plans for a full scale expedition to loot the structure of everything. They take the Hologram from you as well. In fact your part is pretty much done, they give you some accolades and offer to promote you to a better command, but you decline, since you want stay with Alyssa. They don't question your reasons and send you on your next mission; they're too enthusiastic about the Xont find to worry about you. You and Alyssa grow a little closer due to the events that occurred on Paradise, realizing you should take advantage of the situation you both pursue a "secret relationship", your team knows, but without an Indoctrinator looking over your shoulder; it's not really given a second thought.
  
  But that isn't the end...the Hologram was very wrong when he thought humanity couldn't be worse than the Xont. Very wrong.
  
  In time the Empire uses the Xont technology that they find and employ it in wondrous ways. A golden age of humanity is said to have begun, however it only applies to humans. A strong sense of Xenophobia grips the Empire, aliens are not just segregated, or enslaved they're slaughtered. Genocide becomes the norm. Atrocities aren't just committed they're encouraged. The Mazatt, Krik, and even the Elojin form an alliance to unite against the unstoppable human war machine. Other aliens flock to their banner, alien worlds that were under Empire control revolt and are scheduled for extermination. It's during this time before you board a ship to your next mission that they attempt to take Alyssa away. Her home planet has become the head agitator of "terrorism" against the Empire. You don't allow it to happen. You shoot everyone you can, before succumbing to multiple wounds. But you've given Alyssa time to escape. She drags you into the ship and launches it, but then sets it on to auto pilot and rushes back to try to help you, but it's too late, you're too badly wounded.
  
  She holds you as you look up smiling at her, a single tear falls down her face and you feel its cool icy splash on your cheek, before you die.
  
  Alyssa's final link to humanity is severed.
  
  Alyssa goes back to her world where she becomes leader of the freedom movement. The Empire has a hell of a time attempting to re-take it and it doesn't help that Alyssa sets up an understanding with the Mazatt who supply weapons, supplies and ships to them.
  
  She grows to hate all of humanity, except one. One she always remembers as what humanity CAN be, instead of what it is.