128 – Difficulty losing your will

It had been a while. I was out of practice. The nausea let me know that, as she who was called Irae opened the box. I laid my arm out straight and flexed and clenched my hand as she would ask me, wrapping my other hand around the edge of the couch.

Krero leaned over and put his arms firmly around my neck, drawing my head into his chest so I could see nothing, and whispering to me, “It’s all right, Cheng, it will be over in a moment, you are with friends, don’t worry,” in a steady stream of words, as you do with someone wounded. That, taking deep breaths and making the white line helped, when I felt steel in my vein.

†

Excerpt from the proceedings of the Chevengani Mental State Assessment Committee, etesora 83, Y. 1556.

Kre: I assert under oath that the dose is being administered properly… has been administered properly and will have the true effect.

La: We thank you for your service, Irae.

“Irae”: Certainly, honoured president and members of the Committee. (Took leave.)

Mi: Chevenga, have you been truth-drugged before?

4Che: Yes. Many times.

Mi: In Arko?

4Che: And here. It assists with memory, and when I came back from Arko, we all agreed I should be debriefed very thoroughly.

Li: Krero, how long does it take to take effect?

Kre: About a tenth-bead, if the person doesn’t fight it.

4Che: I’m not going to fight it.

La: Let us decide, then, how we are going to proceed. We have already agreed that Krero may intercede to ensure that Chevenga is being questioned in such a way that he will provide true answers. Krero, how long does the effect last?

Kre: He’ll be in the stage suitable for questioning for about two and a half beads, though you have to start asking test questions again after two beads, just to make sure. Then it fades off gradually, over the next three beads. You don’t question him as it’s fading off, because you know he is gaining his will back and so you will not know whether you can trust his answers—or, I should say, in Chevenga’s case, whether you can trust the truth of his answers to have been induced by the drug.

La: We will end his questioning after two and a half beads, then, or when test questions prove it’s wearing off, whichever comes first. What is best for a person coming off it, Krero; should he be alone, should he be with a healer, should he stay lying down?

Kre: Best is to sleep it off, but I’ve never known Chevenga to be able to do that. Best he stays lying down for that time, in a quiet and private place, and I’ll stay with him.

La: All right. We’ll set that up for afterwards. Now, the scope of our questioning—

4Che: Linasika can scrape me.

Kre: No!

La: Pardon me?

4Che: Linasika can scrape me. Please. There’s nothing I’d like more.

La: Krero, please explain what Chevenga means by “scrape” in this context.

Kre: Honoured president, what he’s referring to is what Arkans call “truth-drug-scraping”… a process of questioning designed to elicit all the information the subject least wants elicited. I don’t think it would be appropriate.

4Che: Sure it would. I have nothing to hide. If I’ve lied to Linasika or to the Committee or to Assembly, then that will be the first answer, won’t it?

La: I don’t understand.

4Che: It starts with—

Kre: Cheng, shut the fik up!

La: Captain Krero, this is a Committee of the Assembly of—

4Che: I’ll say what I please!

La: Order! This is a Committee of the Assembly of Yeola-e; I ask you, sib Captain Krero, to speak in a manner appropriate to the place and company you are in.

Kre: Pardon me, Committee members, I apologize.

La: What does it mean, “that will be the first answer?”

Kre: He’s referring to how a truth-drug-scraping is conducted.

4Che: The first question is, “What would—”

Kre: It’s not appropriate!

Li: Krero, we need only ask him and he will tell us; he’s under oath!

La: Order, sib gentlefolk. May I also remind you, Captain Krero, that while you are under oath, legally you should not be speaking unless asked a question. Now please explain what Chevenga meant, saying that if he’d lied, it would be the first answer.

Kre: My apologies again. The way a truth-drug-scraping is done, the first question you ask is, “What would you least like us to know?” And the second question is, “After that, what would you next least like us to know?” And so on, until you’ve got everything out of the person that they’d prefer you didn’t know. You see why it’s called scraping. What Chevenga is saying is that, had he lied to you while under oath, that is likely the thing he’d least like the Committee to know, especially Linasika, and so, he would answer that on the first time that question is asked him once he’s under, especially in the presence of Linasika.

La: Well, it seems to me to go without saying that, since Chevenga’s request was made so as to prove that he has been honest, that we will ask him whether he has lied to us. That doesn’t need this scraping business.

Kusi: I want to say for the record that I am very, very uncomfortable with all this (assent). This Arkan thing, this mind-poison that takes away a person’s will, I don’t like even the idea of it, and I don’t think I would like seeing it done to anyone, and I particularly don’t like seeing it done to this man, who is so honest and who has done so much for all of us and, whatever might be hindering his sanity, should not have to prove his honesty. I know that he requested it, and I was outvoted for that reason, and I know that what I am saying here will make no difference. But I also know that he requested it only due to his integrity being questioned—unjustly, in my opinion—by us on this Committee. I just want it on the record; I want all who ever review or study this to know I said these words.

Da: I would like to add on the record that I more than concur.

4Che: Kusiya, Darosera, I have absolutely no difficulty with being completely honest.

Kusi: Yes, but you must have difficulty with losing your will, as anyone would. Let me add, on the record, that I am impressed, no, beyond impressed, I am astounded, at the degree of this man’s courage. In fact I’d like to request a vote on that—that the Committee commend Chevenga on the record for his courage, for doing this.

La: That, on the record, the Committee commends Fourth Chevenga Shae-Arano-e for his courage, in willingly undergoing questioning while under Arkan truth-drug, and indeed being willing to be asked any question, all chalk, all charcoal, carried unanimously, thank you.

4Che: You didn’t need to do that.

La: Now we must finish with respect to scope of questioning.

4Che: If, in aid of that, you want me speaking unaffected by the drug, it’s got to be quick, because I’m beginning to feel it.

La: Well, let’s settle this: that we do the procedure referred to as “truth-drug-scraping,” all chalk, all charcoal—no, Chevenga, you don’t get a vote (laughter). I see two chalks and five charcoals, defeated, thank you.

Kre: Chevenga, lie to me—

4Che: I can’t.

Kre: What? It’s too soon, why not?

4Che: I’m under oath.

La: For this one question you’re released from it—you’re testing him, are you not, Krero?

Kre: Yes.

La: For testing questions only, Chevenga, you are released from your oath.

Kre: Lie to me, what’s your name?

4Che: Rao Kyavinara.

Kre: How old are you?

4Che: Ninety-nine (laughter).

La: I don’t think we need to vote that we are going to ask him, has he lied to us at all. That was part and parcel of his request. What else might we ask him?

4Che: Has to be more than one question, or it’s a waste of a dose of perfectly good truth-drug. The stuff’s pricey… it would be a misuse of the people’s funds.

Kre: Point of note, Committee members: some people, while truth-drug is taking effect, when they are partially under, become more talkative. Chevenga is one.

4Che: Only among friends, only friends, heart’s brother. As you said, I am among friends, here. I kept my mouth nailed shut when it was the Mahid.

La: Scope of questioning, discussion.

4Che: You set your scope of questioning as you set your mandate: broad. But since we’ve got some of the truth-drug Committee here, too, to my mind the scope of questioning for any questioning should be set down in writing by one person at the very—

La: Chevenga, we ask you to let us deliberate.

4Che: Of course, sib president.

Li: Perhaps we can do it as we do a typical questioning; half a bead to each member.

4Che: Linasika’s got a bead on me.

Kre: Point of order, they make inappropriate jokes sometimes, also. Chevenga, shh, until you’re questioned.

4Che: What, why? These Committee transcripts are always in need of being made more interesting, in my opinion. I mean, pity Esenai, our poor scribe here, scrawling formal this and procedural that, blah blah blah, day in, day out, or the poor writers who have to look through every boring line of what we spew out here looking for the nugget of truth that will be sufficiently fascinating to rea—

Kre: Shut up, Cheng! This is all on the public record; some writer will find this and quote it to make you look like an idiot.

4Che: Krero, you speak outside your mandate; you are the captain of the darya semanakraseyeni, so your purview is the safety of my person, not worrying whether anyone makes me look like an idiot. I can manage that myself, truth-drugged or not—

La: Order, semanakraseye!

†

Esenai was decent enough not to enter it into the record, but Krero put his hand over my mouth here, and I was already too weak to squirm free.

†

Kusi: I don’t want a half-bead of time. I don’t want even one question.

Da: Nor I.

La: He has requested—we’ll do this by his choice, since we’re doing it due to his request in the first place. Chevenga, are you still with us?

4Che: Yes, and soon I’ll have no choice about it, I won’t be able to help being with you, I’ll be cleaved to you. I’m sorry.

Li: What?

Kre: It’s the drug.

A: He’s describing, quite accurately, what it feels like.

Li: How do you know?

A: The truth-drug Committee decided that our work would be best informed if we all underwent it, so I know from experience.

4Che: I commend all of the members of the truth-drug Committee to the greatest degree (assent).

La: I mean your will, Chevenga, is your will still with us?

4Che: A little. I’ll… All right, I’ll fight it. Maybe for another few moments, I can keep my will with you.

La: How would you have us question you, other than scraping, which we’ve already voted down?

4Che: Five of you take half a bead each, or all of you divide the time up evenly, and ask me whatever you want. I don’t mind, it’s as I say, being entirely honest is no hardship for me, nothing I’m not used to. If there aren’t five who want to, then Linasika can have all the rest of the time, as far as I’m concerned.

Da: I’ll take my half-bead, if we’re doing it this way.

Kusi: I will be one of the two who sit it out.

Chanae: I also.

La: That leaves five. I will give it to Linasika, first.

Li: Chevenga—

La: We aren’t starting yet.

Kre: I know you’re drooling eager to have him under your power, Linasika, but we’re not at a tenth yet. Chevenga, lie to me, how old are you?

4Che: Ninety… nine.

Da: He can still lie but it’s very obviously become harder for him.

Kre: Yes. It doesn’t happen all at once.

La: Now I think that it’s best, considering the special nature of this questioning, the particular importance of avoiding confusion, that we permit no one to intercede during any one member’s time, with the exception of Krero. I hear no disagreement. I suggest we take a rest break while we wait for the drug to take full effect.

--