Martha or The Confederacy a place where...

[Picture of Popovich]

[Suki]

[Martha]

[Kalen]

[Lisa]

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Planet: Tarsonis

Year:2524

Place: Confederate ??? Academy

1520-Research and Development room 30-Class NGS

Caesar and Victoria were seated within a small lab surrounded by some of the latest parts and pieces the confederacy had to offer.

The elderly doctor, Martha. Walked in, smiling ear to ear as she said. "CONGRATULATION KIDS! You've been approved for the construction of customized datapads!"

The two blinked on, doing their best to hide their massive disappointment. Martha tried to uphold her smile. But it faded as her eyes lingered upon the two and their disappointment. "Look, kids. I know you two could do this task in your sleep. But sadly. The director has made abundantly clear, that you two will not be getting any military-grade tech.

There will be no last-gen broken down CMC power armors, no mineral processors, no heavily damaged gauss rifles...he was even reluctant to provide the corpses needed for medical studies. So trust me when I say. This will be the closest you get to any state-of-the-art tech in a while.

Now, if you excuse me, kids. I have a staff meeting to attend, but if you need any assistance doctor Tom will be here shortly to oversee you kids."

The two stood up, saying nothing as they began to work.

-Staff Room Auditorium. Sometime later-

Martha strolled into the staff room glowering in rage. She strolled past Kalen, Lisa, Suki, Mr.Quakenbush, and many other staff members muttering. "What a waste of brilliance."

Her words earned the ire of many and the nods of a few.

"Hey you, old bitch. This here, be da the main Tarsonis ghost academy, not a hodgepodge fancy science vessel. So shut and sit the fuck dahn." Said a middle-aged man.

Martha took a seat, glowering at the man as she said. "It's down you uncultured Mara Sarian brute. And I didn't spend all these years as one of the nations leading scientists just to see two of the brightest young minds be wasted by a paranoid, old, limp dick of a fucking man! Do I make myself clear Director Popovich?"

Silence covered the room as Martha stared down upon a tall thin middle-aged male with spiky grey hair and two silver cybernetic eyes. In the top right corner of his head was on an octagon plate, and attached to both ears two state-of-the-art hearing aids.

The man stood within the center of the room, glancing upon all his preceptors and guest teachers. "Doctor Martha. You will do well to remember whose in change." His calm, cold, and collected voice imposed a primal fear within most of the teachers.

Martha scoffed, crossing her legs as she told him. "You are not in charge. You're not even the commandant, hell your not even the main Director! Popovich. And my orders to teach those two, come from Anabella Terra! The new headmistress of the Terra family!

You've always been a slow dog. So I'll spell it out to you. The Terra's are part of the 11, so get me my shit. Before I file a report."

Her venomous words caused the rest of the teachers to gasp in shock.

Popovich raised a hand, causing Kalen to draw his pistol and point it upon the back of her skull. "Who in charge here?" Said Popovich. This time his voice was raised and slightly enraged.

"YOU ARE!" yelled the teachers in unison. They stood up, saluting as he stared into Matha's eyes.

"Adjutant. Display prisoners 1-4." Said Popovich, sneering at Martha.

Her eyes fell upon four long cylindrical containers rising from out of the floor. The containers slid opened displaying three naked old men and one overweight middle-aged woman dripping in a mix of lime green chemicals.

"YOU BRAINWASHED THEM! HOW!?" Yelled Martha leaning of her. Lisa grabbed her head and forced it to remain forward.

Popovich smirked saying. "It's called Neural Resocialization, remember? And I had Tom lead all the operations. I mean, come on Martha, you know the process. You helped the man recruit Caesar calls father, create it. You know, we all thought Harold Connington to be a mad nut. But that nut was brilliant. I mean he built us such a promising recruit."

"Promising my ass." Muttered Kalen, sneering at the mention of Caesar's name. His gun clicked prompting Martha to shake and pled.

"What is wrong with you people! If he can do that to them. He can do anything to you! Did you all forget what he did to Ingred!? His daughter!" Lisa loosened her grip, allowing Martha to turn her neck around.

Her heart dropped as she looked upon the staff and their semi-lifeless eyes. "You're either with me or with me." Said Popovich, smiling as he stared upon his loyal dogs of war.

"YOU IMPLANTED NEURAL INHIBITORS INTO ALL OF THEIR MINDS!" Martha's voice echoed across the rooms like music to Popovich's ears. Her eyes shook, a third of the staff had undergone the processes.

"Please Martha don't be shocked, it's beneath you. Besides, they're happily loyal. I dish out massive bonuses, take care of their kids while giving them the best, and all I ask for is loyalty." His voice was soft, sweet, and borderline angelic. It eased the staff's nerves, assuring them that everything was ok.

"Wake up people! It's a threat! He's threatening you with your family! Their lives, their happiness...everything!" Her voice watered, her eyes teared. The staff scoffed as Lisa smiled proudly, saying. "The Confederacy is a nation where the opportunistic can thrive."

Lisa's words caused Martha's tearful eyes to widen in shock. 'So that's what he meant.' Thought Martha thinking back to the first day she met Caesar. [ reread the end of chapter 2]

"HAHAHA!" Laughed Popovich smiling ear to ear as Lisa's words replayed in his mind. "The Confederacy is a nation where the opportunistic can thrive. I love it!"

He strolled up the auditorium steps, stopping before Lisa, Kalen, Martha, and the rest. Popovich bent over kissing Lisa's forehead. "The Confederacy is a nation where the opportunistic can thrive. I love it! I'll have it plastered in every corner of the city. And you'll earn 15% of the profit from merchandising.

See Martha. That's teamwork, god image what we could've continued to do if you had just stayed loyal." He turned to sneer at Martha, before kissing Lisa's forehead once more.

"What are you planning, Popovich? We both know those kids are going to be enslaved to the government, its army, and the 11." Martha's fear faded as Popovich's saying replayed in her head.

"You know Martha, your neural inhibitors are surprisingly potent. I mean, not as good as resocialization but way more reliable. Like Suki over there is a ghost, code name IX94501. Yeah, IX, she's a late-generation 9 grade 8.5 ghost! But that's beside the point. Suki, I order you to strip then dance to men's content."

Popovich's watched as Suki's yellow eyes dullened and her lips quivered. Kalen laughed, slobbering as she unveiled her bright perky tits. "Aaah-oooh" Kalen howled, covering her face and tits in his spit. Sliming as veins displayed across her forehead.

"Come on, use your telekinesis? Snap your my nake, blow my brains out. Or does Popovich have previous orders preventing? Hahaha, he totally does!" laughed Kalen. Pinching her nipples as she continued to strip. The rest of the preceptors grinned watching the show.

"So she's how you got the commandant and the others? Let me guess, Tom's doing." Sighed Martha looking back towards the exit.

Tom walked in, smiling ear to ear. He watched as Martha grit her teeth turning back towards Popovich. "You're not going to kill me are you?"

"Nope. As we both know neural resocialization is way too flawed. And as such, you're going to be the first of many reasons I get Anabella Terra to willingly serve me. You're going to be the spark that enables me to win this war. To gain more political and military power, to enslave 1 of the 11 families...and Caesar...Sarah...the kids...my prized weapons to enslave the rest.

As for Anabella Terra? She's just some upstart bitch who was forced to marry her fourth cousin...or was it third? Meh, who cares she'll be my bitch eventually. Men take Martha!" Yelled Popovich, to his surprise Martha followed without a fuss.

"Tell me, Popovich. Why are you doing all of this?" Asked Martha, for the first time in years Popovich softened, his eyes watered.

"The Confederacy is dying Martha and it's not just the growing rebel movement, It's everything. I know I may sound crazy. I mean, I'm the guy enslaving children left and right. But our system can't even sustain their freedom, so why not weaponize their ilk and these deplorable men and women to build a nation that will!"

Yelled Popovich. His words caused Martha to rethink Caesar's words once more. 'The Confederacy is a nation where the opportunistic can thrive...'

"Popovich, you aren't crazy. The kids of Tarsonis have become as cruel as the adults and I...Martha Zedcroth, am a big reason why! So do with me what you will. But I know this nation has already consumed the once-great man I followed all those years ago!" Yelled Martha, leading her captures towards her doom.

At the same time. A light grey-eyed boy grinned ear to ear with his hand-built, silver-colored datapad in hand. The boy...Caesar could truly join this long and grueling game.

----Author's note---

I hope you guys understand Popovich more, he's supposed to be the type of guy who'd commit any evil to save the thing he loves most. And in this case, he loves his nation more than anything! More than his wife, daughter...ANYTHING!