Memory Manipulation

Who is Manipulating the Memories of these Weallians? That’s what he wants to know.

When a planet like Earth starts to venture out into the rest of the universe, it’s obvious that the criminal element will also venture out there. Once out there, they realize the universe is a lot bigger than they have been thinking it is. That’s when KOVA, aka The Kova, is born.

No one knows what KOVA stands for or what The Kova means. All that everyone knows is that KOVA, aka The Kova, is almost everywhere in the universe. If there is a population, there is at least one Kovan there. Usually, it’s a family of Kovans. That includes the planet Weallt.

“The above message appears at the beginning of all my short stories, scripts, etc., when I’m writing about KOVA, aka The Kova. It’s sort of like the scroll at the beginning of the Star Wars movies,” says SpaceFaction.

Memory Manipulation
(Another KOVA, aka The Kova Short Story)

A Short Story

Written By

SpaceFaction

Juvian Wimph leads three other Locals into a two-level building. Another group of four Locals enter this building from an opposite entrance from Juvian’s group. Two more groups of Locals enter from side entrances on the second level of this building. All sixteen Locals have their hand weapons out as they start looking around there.

They are looking for another Wealltian by smashing through any closed entrance. The rooms with an already open entrance, they just enter that room with their weapons out and ready to use. So far, they haven’t seen anyone to use their weapons on, at least not on the first level. They do on the second level, though.

“We have found our Wealltian.” The voice of a female Local can be heard coming out of the left ear of Juvian and the other Locals with him. “Unfortunately, our Wealltian can no longer help us.”

A few minutes later, Tumh and the other Locals with him are standing over a Wealltian with a metal ring around his forehead and wires dangling out of it. “Don’t tell me. He doesn’t remember anything he has seen regarding KOVA, aka The Kova, in the last two months.”

#

“He’s like the other six Wealltians who have tried to help us against Tumh Flaccim and the other Kovans. Not only doesn’t he remember anything about them, but what he does remember, he doesn’t think he has done,” says Juvian to the head of the Locals in this part of Weallt, Olivioni Cokkom.

“Someone has not only manipulated his memory regarding Tumh and the other Kovans, but they have also manipulated what he remembers about their lives,” continues Juvian. “We still don’t know who has been doing this or why they are doing it this way.”

Olivioni doesn’t look like she is listening to what Juvian has been telling her. All she is doing is writing down what he’s telling her. At least that’s what it appears she is doing. She stops writing when Juvian stops talking.

“Stop telling me what we already know,” says Olivioni. “Tell me something that we don’t know yet.”

“Unfortunately, I can’t do that. I can’t tell you what I don’t know yet,” says Juvian.

Olivioni looks up at Juvian. “We need to stop these Memory Manipulations. You are one of my best Professional Locals. What are you going to do to stop them?”

#

“Why are you here this time?” Tumh asks after he enters his residential living room.

“You know why I’m here,” answers Juvian. “I’m here about the latest Memory Manipulation you are responsible for. We both know you are responsible for what has been happening lately.”

Tumh gets himself a drink. He gestures to ask Juvian if he wants something to drink. Juvian shakes his head no. After he gets his drink, he sits down and starts sipping it. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“How many times have you asked me about this Memory Manipulation you are talking about?” Tumh asks. “Every time something bad happens on Weallt, you think we are somehow responsible for it.”

“That’s because most of the time you are responsible for it,” says Juvian. “I don’t know yet who is doing this, how they are doing it, or your connection to it, but I will find out.”

Tumh gets up and starts walking toward his front entrance. Juvian knows this means their talk is over. “You may be right about it being our fault most of the time, but you are wrong about this time.”

#

Juvian uses some almost complete darkness between two buildings to meet with another Wealltian. He is constantly looking all around him while he does this. “What can you tell me about Tumh and the other Kovans?” Juvian asks.

“That’s not why I’m here,” answers this Wealltian. “I’m here to tell you no one else is going to help you with Tumh and the other Kovans. We have heard what has happened to the other Wealltians who have been trying to help you lately, and we don’t want to end up like them.”

“It’s bad enough we lose our memories about what has happened between them and us, but to lose who we are, we can’t expect that,” continues this Wealltian. “You are on your own now. We won’t be helping you anymore.”

Juvian grabs this Wealltian’s wrist. “I know that Tumh and the other Kovans are involved with all of these Memory Manipulations in some way, but I may be wrong about that.”

“According to Tumh, they aren’t responsible for what has been happening lately. Whether Tumh, Tumh and the other Kovans are responsible or not, I need your help in stopping these Memory Manipulations.”

#

“It’s a fate worse than death. At least, that’s what my Helpers are telling me,” says Juvian to Olivioni. “That’s why they are refusing to help me with our latest problem with Tumh and the other Kovans.”

Olivioni stops writing and looks up at Juvian. “I have been thinking about this. Why is Tumh and the other Kovans doing this like this? Wouldn’t it be more like him to kill these Wealltians instead of Memory Manipulating them?”

“I have also been thinking about that, and I don’t know why he’s doing it this way either. The only reason why he’s not killing them is to tell the others what will happen to them if they go against him, and it looks like it’s working. They aren’t going to help us anymore.”

“Unfortunately, sooner or later, this won’t be just Memory Manipulations. Sooner or later, whoever has been doing these Memory Manipulations will start killing these Wealltians,” continues Juvian.

Juvian starts to leave that room, but he stops himself just before walking through the sliding open entrance. “At least it will if we don’t stop these Memory Manipulations.”

“What are you going to do to stop these killings from happening?” Olivioni asks.

###

“I don’t understand why these Memory Manipulations are happening,” says Juvian while walking next to Olivioni down a series of hallways. “After all, we are only trying to find a hidden Maridene Plus location.”

Olivioni stops walking and looks at Juvian. “That’s not all that’s happening right now with Tumh. Only the first three Memory Manipulations have been related to Maridene Plus. The last four have nothing to do with Maridene Plus.”

Juvian starts walking again. Olivioni is right next to him again. “Unfortunately, I know about the last four being different. They are still connected to the Maridene Plus problem in some way. I just don’t know what that way is yet. That’s why I’m headed for Data Information.”

“I need to know what that connection is,” continues Juvian. “After I find out what the connection is, I think that I will know who this Memory Manipulator is.”

“Once I know who this Memory Manipulator is, I can find out why they are doing it. I can also find out what the connections are between Tumh, this Memory Manipulator, and the last four Memory Manipulations. At least I hope that I can find the answers in Data Information.”

#

Juvian sits down behind a small Data Monitor in a room full of Data Monitors. Almost all of these Data Monitors are being used. He taps a red button on top of it, and this Data Monitor comes on. After he taps in his Personal Code, he starts tapping the control panel in front of him.

A few minutes later, he stops tapping and leans back in his Seat. He starts reading what is on this Data Monitor. His lips are moving, but no words are coming out of his mouth. Olivioni is standing right behind him. She is also reading this Data Monitor without using her mouth.

Suddenly, Juvian stops reading and points at several words on his Data Monitor. “I still don’t know if Tumh is connected to this Memory Manipulation yet, but I do know where the next Memory Manipulation will take place. I think we may stop this Memory Manipulation from happening.”

“If we can get to this Memory Manipulation before it’s too late, we may find out who is behind them, and why they are doing it,” says Juvian.

Juvian taps a few more buttons on his control panel. “Sending you some information. I’ll meet you there,” continues Juvian.

#

“It’s the same way as it has been for the last three buildings,” says Juvian to a group of fifteen other Locals near this building. “Only this time we are all going to be on the second level.”

“Our objective, this time, is also different,” says Juvian. “We are here to stop a Memory Manipulation from happening. Don’t use your weapons unless you don’t need to do it.”

Juvian splits up these fifteen Locals into the same groups as he has done the last three times. After he has split them up, they enter this building from four different sides of this six-sided building. It doesn’t take them long to find who they are looking for. “Stop what you are doing, or we will stop you, and you don’t want us to do that.”

Not only have they found their latest Wealltian before the Memory Manipulation is complete, but they find their Memory Manipulator. Juvian and the other Locals with him can’t believe what they are looking at. Now, they know why all these Memory Manipulations have been males so far. The Memory Manipulator is a female adult in her early thirties.

#

“Why have you been doing these Memory Manipulations?” Juvian asks the female Memory Manipulator in the Interview Room at the Local building. “Who have you been doing these Memory Manipulations for?”

“I’m not going to talk without Representation.” The female Memory Manipulator says.

Juvian gets up and starts to leave the Interview Room. He stops just before the entrance begins to slide open to look at this female Memory Manipulator. “I’ll be back to talk to you after I get your Representative.”

It takes Juvian almost two hours before he returns to this Interview Room with her Representative. “Now that your Representative is here, we can talk about who you are and why you have been doing these Memory Manipulations. We also want to know who you have been doing them for.”

The female Memory Manipulator barely whispers to her Representative so that only she can hear her for several minutes by cupping her hand over the side of her face in front of Juvian. She turns to face Juvian. “I can’t tell you what I don’t know. I’m not the Memory Manipulator you are looking for.”

#

“All I know is that I have been helping her to get these Wealltians ready for their Memory Manipulations, but I don’t want to do it. I had to help her or she would have killed me,” says the female Memory Manipulator who isn’t a female Memory Manipulator.

“We have been talking for hours,” says Juvian. “Why have you waited until now to tell me this? Is it to give the real Memory Manipulator a chance to get away? Maybe you are the Memory Manipulator, and you are saying this to throw me off you.”

The female Memory Manipulator who may not be a female Memory Manipulator looks at her Representative. She talks to her Representative in silent whispers again for several minutes. “I’m not the Memory Manipulator, but I have been waiting until now so that she can get away from here.”

“I haven’t been lying about her killing me,” continues this female Memory Manipulator who isn’t a female Memory Manipulator. “She would have killed me if I hadn’t helped her to get away.”

“Is she doing this for Tumh?” Juvian asks.

This female Memory Manipulator, who says she isn’t a female Memory Manipulator. “You know I can’t tell you that. If I do, I’m dead.”

Word Count = 1,973