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“Prisoner 59162, enter the corridor.”

A shaky breath came from the figure that stood as the bulkhead fully opened, just as uncertainly stepping past the boundaries of where it would shut. Mammalian in species, what had been a thick mane around their head had been heavily shaved if to keep thermal related issues low, even if it damaged the feline’s pride thanks to such. The shackles he wore around his wrists kept them uncomfortably close to each other along with being heavy enough to make movements slow, especially as how they bounced against his legs each time he tried stepping forward. The ones around his ankles weren’t as cumbersome, but they were still heavy much like the ones around his wrists, with some give to them as they were two separate pieces instead of one larger set.

The corridor they were forced to walk down was of pristine condition, panels that interlocked with each other with little to no visible breaks on them, accented by bright lights on either walls flanking the figure as he walked with more in the ceiling. A little too bright for the feline as they did have to close their eyes somewhat if to shield them, but not too much to make it difficult to see where he was going. Not like he could deviate much on his path, seeing as the bulkhead on the other end of the hall was soon in front of him.

It wasn’t long until the bulkhead would start to open much like the one before, leading into a chamber that had similar panels and tiling as the corridor, only that it wasn’t barren of features other than lighting. From what the feline could see, there was a desk of a sort suited for an executive’s office resting in the center of the chamber, there being various items resting on top of it, including a metronome once the sounds of the bulkhead’s opening ceased. A constant ticking sound so as to break the silence. There was also what the feline could guess was a chair past the desk, with a different figure sitting in it, different species as well to him.

“Prisoner 59162, enter the chamber.” the intercom voice ordered, which did make the feline jolt in surprise due to being used to the near silence after the bulkhead’s opening.

Stepping past, the feline would be focused on the figure that rested in the chair, whom didn’t even acknowledge his own presence yet, or didn’t seemingly react to the bulkhead’s opening and now closing process. It’s when it fully shut that they would finally move, the chair swiveling around to have them facing the feline fully.

Avian species, short beak of subtle blue coloration and light-brown feathers on his face, four eyes that were focused solely on the feline, overall height would likely have him maybe a head shorter in comparison to the feline if he were to be standing as well. Dressed in attire that would be far more suited for a meeting with higher ups, certainly not something that would be used for meeting with a convict.

“Greetings.” the avian would finally say to break the silence past the metronome’s ticking. After a moment’s pause, he would move a hand and wave it to a spot that was past the desk he sat at. “Please, have a seat.”

The feline was about to question that, his mouth opening to speak only to close when he saw a panel of the floor depress and move underneath a neighboring one, watching a chair similar to the avian’s own float up shortly after, seeing a hole at the base of the back of it that was likely to factor in for any tails that ones such as himself had. He wouldn’t try to sit right away, instead looking at the avian as he shifted awkwardly in his spot.

“Go on, don’t be shy.” the avian urged, moving his hand back to having the elbow rest on the armrests of his own chair.

With that, the feline slowly moved over to the offered seat, having to stop once he was in front of it if to try and maneuver his tail into the hole of the chair before properly sitting down in it. It wasn’t all that easy to properly do, needing to let the shackles that bound his wrists rest on his lap, the weight of them making it rather uncomfortable to him and even awkward to properly sit. Despite such, he would keep silent about it so as to not voice his concerns, instead gazing at the avian with dread.

He saw a smile form on the avian’s beak once the feline had fully situated himself, watching the well-dressed bird reaching to a spot past the desk. The feline’s own hearing would hear something being slid out of its spot, thoughts running rampant on what it could be before seeing the avian placing something on the desk’s surface. A projector data pad, one that the avian slid to the center of the desk.

“While I already know the answers, I suppose it won’t hurt to ask the questions related to them.” the avian stated shortly after, keeping his hand resting partially on the device. “I’m guessing that it’s alright to ask them anyway?” he directed the question to the feline.

A slow, light would be the feline’s answer, ears folding down as well.

“Splendid.”

The avian shifted his hand to tap a finger on the device’s power button, watching it flicker to life and project a basic image of the feline before him, slowly changing to be a full body representation that idly rotated in its spot.

“Now then…according to your file, you are one ‘Azi-Riah Calus’, correct?” the first question was asked.

A nod would follow in response, the projected image updating with the name off to the side of the figure, facing the feline.

“Born and raise over on Flusion, a planet that – up until the ‘incident’ on twenty-four oh one – had been classified as being inhabited by a pre-FTL species. Is that correct?”

Another nod, another update to the projector.

“And, once the incident occurred, dubbed the ‘Katzenartig Invasion’ by most, you were – at the time, at least – one of the many soldiers that served as the kaiser’s royal guard, correct?”

Another nod, another update.

The questions would continue, the feline either answering or denying varying claims, with the projected image of him updating accordingly. Each question that was asked by the avian and answered would also have him tap at something just outside of the feline’s sight on the other side of the desk, about to ask another one only to be interrupted

“I’m…sorry to interrupt, sir, but…is there a point to these questions…?” the feline asked in return, even if he shown signs of disliking the action.

Instead of answering right away, the avian would close his mouth and let out a small sigh.

“Cataloging, for the most part.” he answered after the pause. “Bureaucratic reasons as well, but they also help determine which cell and thus wing to assign you.” The feline was about to question that part only to be cut off. “I personally don’t like doing it as much as you do in answering the questions, but it has to be done.”

Both figures would fall silent as the avian tapped away at the item again, the projector device shutting off after a bit and was put away.

“So, with that done and out of the way…time to move to the next part of this process.”

The feline arched an eyebrow at the avian’s statement as he watched the bird reach to a spot on his suit, bringing out a device that fit within his hand.

“Mind your arms and legs, hold them out if you would.” he stated before pressing on a button of the device.

The feline was about to ask what he meant by that, only to see the avian surging in size before him. It wasn’t just that, in which the shackles that bound his arms and ankles were felt to be creeping up to covering more of their respective areas, and becoming increasingly heavier to him as well. His senses swimming at the change in perspective, he looked around and saw that it wasn’t just those that got larger, it was everything else. The chair he had sat somewhat snugly in had far more room for him now, his tail having issues reaching to the hole it had been snaked through before.

The change in perspective wouldn’t last as it came to a halt, the feline’s heart racing as he tried to process what had happened, involuntarily jumping from the chair as well. The angle he did though would have certainly resulted on landing with the arm restraints crushing his hands. Or they would, had his short fall not been stopped by the restraints themselves just freezing mid-air, causing the feline to press uncomfortably into them. He would try to get them to move, only to find that they would not budge at all.

“Managed to catch you, good.” he heard the avian speak, looking up and saw him peering over the front of the desk, unoccupied hand over the edge of it.

The avian would move back, the feline being lifted up from his spot, now held in front of the desk as the avian – now larger than the feline once he got a look at him – sat back in his own seat.

“Wh-what did you just do…?!” the feline stammered out, ears folding down fully and tail curling to be between his legs. “And how are you larger than me now?!”

“It’s something that this equipment allows me to do.” the avian answered, the feline seeing his hand fiddling with the device and thus moving him around, being set down on the desk itself, having to adjust for such due to the comparatively-larger restraints now.

“I suppose it’s right to ask this question now; Do you recall being incarcerated in a station different to the one here?”

A nod would be the feline’s initial answer. “Yes. Kept isolated from others like me, and…memory’s spotty but, something else happened…can’t recall what.”

“Amnesiacs.”

“Huh?”

“They were used thanks to the process you were put through in order to make the tech I have usable on ones such as yourself. It’s something that’s considered experimental even after…maybe a decade of isolated tests. To simplify the whole thing, physical constraints like size and stature? Those are things that I and others can control freely.”

The explanation would have gotten a question from the feline, only to wince when he saw the device the avian used to reduce his own size being brought out. He braced himself for another reduction to it…only to not feel it happening. He did hear the ticking of the metronome, something he had tuned out since the start of the questioning, becoming…faster, higher pitched, looking over to it. Sure enough, the rhythmic device was a fair bit smaller than what he recalled it being, and like how he saw everything grow around him a couple minutes ago, would shoot up in size, enough so that it took up a sizable portion of the corner it rested on. The ticking from the enlarged device was rather deafening, something that even the avian would attest to as it was brought back down to its original size after only a couple of clicks, a chuckle coming from the avian once it was done.

“And as shown, it isn’t limited to just living beings. The place where you have been sentenced to is also in this very room, which was also affected by this type of tech.” the avian added with a small smirk.

“Wait, what?”

The feline watched the avian reach his unoccupied hand to the collar of the suit he wore, managing to fish out a necklace that was, without a doubt, made with valuable metals. Nestled at the end of it was an amulet that was rather perfectly spherical, multiple bands encompassing it to keep it anchored in its position.

“It may not look like it, but nestled within this is where you will be incarcerated. Far smaller than any regular living being, on a penal colony planet that has been…well, repurposed.” he explained, holding the amulet up a little more to let himself inspect it.

“But…how does that…?”

“Best to not think about it too much.” the avian interrupted, setting the amulet against his front and lifted the device he held in his opposite hand up. “Mind your limbs.”

With that simple warning, the feline braced himself and watched as not only the avian compressed on one button of the device he held, he watched as everything doubled in size around him once more. The shackles that once covered only his forearms and shins now covered all the way up to his shoulders and hips respectively, thankfully both sets on top of each other in a rough sitting position. He would have complained about it had he not heard and saw the bindings let up, freeing him from them and allowed him to move out and stand up in his spot, rubbing at his arms after.

The realization of the current loss of his size would come next, seeing that the stacked bindings were nearly equal to his own current standing height, and past them was the avian himself, head resting on his unoccupied hand, the other that held the device capable of reducing the feline’s size angled off to the side. If he had to guess, he would be nearly knee-high to the bird at this point if he were to be standing next to him.

“Disorienting, isn’t it?” he heard the question, looking back up to the larger avian’s face. “It is to be expected, since others before you had varying reactions to the sudden rush whenever they were shrunk.”

“Others?”

“Oh right. That number of yours, five nine one six two? Think of it as a queue number. That means that over fifty-nine thousand others are imprisoned on this.” the avian explained, gesturing to the amulet that hung around his neck, giving the device another press without warning the feline.

Another round of the shrinkage and now the ‘giant’ before the feline was starting to look intimidating, even with how he had been treated fairly well up to this point. The avian anticipated it, moving his unoccupied hand over and behind the feline, which did keep him from tumbling off the desk, but only served to further show the increasing size gap between the two, more so as the device was activated again and now down to being nearly the same size as the hand behind him. Despite the assurances, the feline was now starting to fear for his well-being, trying to move away from the larger figure, even if it meant going down off of the desk one way or another.

Another anticipated action though, as the hand easily moved to pinch a couple of digits onto the back of the jumpsuit the feline wore, halting his movements with an audible yell coming from the smaller feline, more so as he was reduced further in the grip and thus left dangling. Struggles turned to flailing, the tiny and dwindling figure trying to plead now even as he was reduced further and further every few seconds. From the pinched digits to using a couple of claw tips, the feline would only watch the world around him grow to be incalculably larger to him, having to squeeze his eyes shut and hold his head due to how the frequent shrinkage bouts were messing with his head and senses, overwhelmed at this point. It was when he didn’t feel that dreadful sensation of being reduced further is when he would open his eyes, easily looking away from the distant areas that were far too blurry for him to even see, jolting when he saw a slick, reflective black surface off to his side, showing his reflection with perfect clarity.

A feline was shown on the surface, looking as scared as a kitten with ears flat against his head and tail almost folded against his front from below. Signs of a mane were evident along the sides of his head and around his neck, having been shaved off only a few days ago. The jumpsuit was the only article of clothing he had on, any other pieces he had prior to coming here having been confiscated. As if by instinct, the feline would try to reach out to the reflective surface, only to quickly recoil once he noticed movement from it. It only took him moments to let out a near-silent mewl of terror once he realized what the surface was.

An eye. One of the avian’s own. And not even organic at that as he took in the details of it.

There are many kinds of details that he would not even notice back at his normal size, and had he known, would have correctly assumed the avian to be akin to a robotic figure. His current size was now the only way he would find out, and it was proven even more so when he saw various displays pop up, all with flurries of information that was no doubt about him and his rather pathetic state. This only prompted the feline to curl slightly in his spot, hugging his tail all the while much like a kit would, his heart racing due to the inability to process just how massive the avian would be compared to him.

“Sorry if this is terrifying you.” he saw the line of text form shortly after the displays went away, his ears flicking somewhat as he realized that the avian was addressing him.

“It’s best to not speak. My hearing may be magnitudes higher compared to non-augmented people, but something as small as you would be difficult to pick up, even if you were next to an ear hole. I can warn you though that you will wind up far smaller than this, the rest of the way will be handled by the systems of the penal colony. You may be stuck there for the rest of your life, but at the very least things won’t be trying to harm or kill you.”

The last bit would get a mewl from the feline, opening his mouth to speak only to snap shut and threw his arms up to protect himself when he saw the eye blink, the message clearing itself to make way for another one.

“While it will be against protocol for me to do, I’ll see about making it so you’ll have some way to contact members of your family or relatives. And…if they wind up on the wrong side of the law to the level such as yourself, I’ll put forth requests to have them sent my way, if to let you reunite with them.”

The messages, while having the intent of being comforting, would only remind the feline that it was a life sentence he was to serve, more so when he worked up the courage to look down and saw the amulet…prison…moving closer from him being lowered downward. Another sensation of being reduced and he would feel the grip on his suit release, only to be held by another force that was coming from the amulet.

The avian above worked as he connected to the systems of the amulet, making the convict more minuscule than he already was to be processed once he was pulled in through the entry port of it. Soon enough, once he got confirmation of the feline touching down onto the planet below, now to be equal in size with the others, the automated systems would kick in and proceed to sort him in accordance to his record and security ranking. Disconnecting from the systems once he was certain, the avian let out a sigh and looked towards the amulet, grasping it with a couple of digits to lift it up and fully into his field of vision.

“Prisoner Five Nine One Six Two, ‘Calus, Azi-Riah’…” the text would appear from the projector device he brought out to pull up the feline’s file again. “Number of crimes on record…”

“One.” he would say in a calm tone to finish, with a hint of sorrow in his voice.

“Found and admitted to being guilty of the destruction of the luxury aethercraft Falisia, resulting in the deaths of over five thousand individuals – guests and staff – on board. Records and feeds indicate it to be the results of a critical failure during maintenance routines, which was the result of the parent company of the vessel forgoing proper upkeep measures in favor of cutting costs. Calus turned himself in once he found that he was the only survivor of the accident, insisting that he was to be tried for murder out of sheer grief of the accident.”

While he already knew of the crime, the avian let out a sigh as he turned off the projector device and put it away, turning in his spot and got up. He would grasp hold of the amulet and tug on the collar of his shirt, tucking it away as he walked to one of the walls of the chamber, the panels moving out of the way to allow him access to a corridor to leave the place.

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Crim'Eak: View

And now the second piece of the Reduced Sentence duo. I was gonna try and do this as an alternate version, but thanks to bouncing the idea of the characters here and on the previous one around with a friend, decided that Crim'eak and Saph'Eak (same issue as last in that his name isn't mentioned in this story) are to be kept as characters. There will (hopefully) be one more literature piece that'll properly introduce them, but for now, enjoy the literature work.