Eventually I was able to distinguish between the voices of some of our shadowy captors. Their leader has a very deep, commanding voice. Yet there was another, softer voice I heard. One that was full of compassion and tenderness. When I heard her speak it was the cooing of a gentle dove. It was strange that among a species I thought was controlled by technology implanted in their skulls that someone still had a degree of freedom. Although looking back, it makes sense that they would care for those they captured before absorbing them into their legion.
I had caught wind of their plan eventually. About four months prior the cyborg nation had invaded a nearby island to find a set of legendary artifacts. A native of the island managed to find them first and use their power to reverse the effects of the first invasion. He had threatened to destroy their airship should they come back so they turned around to regroup. They spent quite a lot of time refitting the airship for a new power source and adding new sections to the craft. I heard they wanted to strike back before the rainy season started.
Still, I knew at least one of these meter tall plated people actually cared for me. I should have realized at the time her caring nature was being used for such evil purposes. She wasn't always kept under mind control because her kindness benefited the whole operation. I could tell that deep down all she wanted was peace. I could hear her cry out in pain and her tone of voice shifted dramatically afterwards. That must have been when the implants in her head activated.
The relics that drove the conflict react very strongly with particular sounds. The reason most of the fragments were found first by an islander was due to the echolocation ability he possessed. To aid in this a device was developed to aid in such searching. They called it a Vespertilio-class acoustic ranging device. It was designed in the shape of a bat with large ears and winglike straps to wear around one's arm.
It was only a matter of time before I was operated on. I fell asleep one day only to find myself awake looking at a red tinged view in one eye. When I woke up I found myself walking without control over where I was going. It was as if something or someone else was using me as a meatpuppet. They trained me for war and pushed me harder than I had ever done on my own will. I became a much better swimmer as a result. I never tried holding my breath for more than a minute until they commanded my body to do so.
As the deadline imposed by the monsoon rains drew closer, I was trained for use of their technologies. They equipped me with one of the sound cannons I mentioned earlier and instructed me on their protocols. The goal was to win decisively. We had studied several of the strange occurrences during the first invasion. The frequencies of radiation emitted by an otherworldly power right before the appearance of our foe was what they tasked my father to study. That mountain was where the last shards left unaccounted for were located the first time.
It was about four months after I was taken that the invasion of Arboria began. The timing was prophetic of the outcome. In my mind was the scripture venerated by my people. For the ancient text spoke of a time when my ancestors were kept as slaves in Nilot. But more importantly, they spoke of when my ancestors were liberated by the miracles of a higher power.
