Green. Red. Green. Green. Red. Blue. Red. Blue. Green. Red. Blue. Green. Green. Red.

Blue.

Acidic communication chemicals flushed into the water, indicating an incorrect input. The young unperson vibrated, partially irritated by the chemicals but mostly in fear.

Elder Sharpenzyme Last Brood of the 1st Fullness of the 3rd Moon watched with an emotion akin to a mix of pride, amusement, and anticipation. Being as highly family oriented as he was he made it a point to personally observe the Trial of Personhood whenever a member of his first degree genetic line underwent it.

It was a costly mistake but it wasn't a game ender; the little unperson would need to make up for it though in the subsequent tests. Elder Sharpenzyme still had high hopes for it. And if he was proven wrong, well, that was what the trial was for.

The unperson was born of the first brood of the first waning of the first moon, an auspicious brooding indeed. If it managed to earn its personhood it would no doubt have a place of some importance in the grand design.

The trial was held in Elder Sharpenzyme's private habipool, which dominated nearly the entire shard in which it was housed. Deep waters dulled the rays of the hated sun and allowed for such rituals to be conducted beyond its unblinking gaze. It was easily large enough to be divided into sections when necessary, and so the trial itself was inside of a transparent force field bubble near to the bottom. All around the bubble the most prominent members of Sharpenzyme's genetic line, at least those whose work allowed them time away for such indulgences, observed the process.

More communication chemicals flooded into the bubble, nearly choking the unperson to death with their thickness. Humiliating, valve-crushing insults precisely chosen by a team of psychologists to cause maximum damage to the specific unperson's sense of self. The unperson would need to do more than simply succeed in order to be acknowledged by society, it would need to do so in a state of adversity.

Hidden in the soup of mind breaking vulgarity were the instructions for the next step of the Trial of Personhood, requiring that the unperson pay attention to the every subtlety of the of chemicals.

Search as it might the unperson couldn't smell out what those instructions were. Unless they were "live?" but what was that supposed to mean?

"Elder Sharpenzyme," secreted Underodd, one of Shallowfears subordinates, "I have a missive to which I was told you would assign a high priority."

Irritated, the Elder turned his attention from the trial.

"Do not pollute overmuch of my waters," Elder Sharpenzyme added to the new conversation. "Give me your missive."

"Star Fastness BF.8 has become compromised. As a security measure Under Elder Shallowfear had the facility obliterated out to the 5th dimension. However four witnesses, three humans and one dolphin, were able to affect an escape. All four are believed to be affiliated with A.R.C."

"Were they able to take any definitive evidence of the facility's existence with them?"

"This cannot be said for sure, but it is highly unlikely. Especially now that all trace of the facility has been eliminated. They did, however, bear personal witness to the human mind control technology. Its existence has been compromised."

Sharpenzyme felt at once elated and energized.

"Once again your master has demonstrated that the best alternative to competence is luck. This is mathematically the most desirable outcome possible."

"I do not understand," added Underodd.

"Of course you don't, because you're not privy to the fullness of my plan. Now away you with. Shoo! How could I punish one whose incompetence spawns eggs such as these?"

Underodd didn't wait around for Sharpenzyme to change his mind. He twisted his body and fired off to begin the long swim back to the medium priority tube nexus.

What a happy coincidence. A.R.C., naturally, will believe their own agents even without absolute proof, but the Cooperative government never will, especially when the consequences of doing so is boiling tensions with their galactic neighbors. This will further widen the division between the two. It will rob A.R.C. of more and more of its legitimacy in the galactic community. 

Sharpenzyme had to exploit this happy accident. If he was able to do so properly he could advance the timeline of his plans by megacycles. He would have his war before the next spawning, and humanity would suffer the loss of face for declaring it. He would be personally responsible for one of the most dramatic reversals of fortune in the history of his people.

"Noone!" he secreted in great volume, summoning his own retainer. "You will immediately establish contact with Star Fastness BF.9 and BFA. I want them both to make preparations for immanent deployment."

"Should I make mention of what these preparations will entail?" asked Noone.

"No," Sharpenzyme added tersely. "Do only as I command."

"At once," said Noone, and flitted off.

Sharpenzyme turned his attention back to the trail.

The unperson floated near the top of the force bubble, dead, its body shredded to ribbons.

Sharpenzyme was disappointed. He really would have liked to have experienced that. Alas, they were all called upon to make sacrifices in the name of the grand design. Perhaps, in their way, even the unpersons did as well.