Temora "Mana" Mansfield

Temora "Mana" Mansfield

Not much is known about Temora "Mana" Mansfield, least of all by himself. After regaining consciousness in the hold of a "Pilgrim" class ship called Pyrenees, en route to the rim, he was shackled to the bulkhead like an animal. Covered in blood, some of it his own, and with rags for clothes, he had no memories of who he was, how long he had been on this ship or why he was there. His only possession was a battered fob watch with an inscription, "To my darling Temora "Mana" Mansfield I will love you always."

As the days came and went I struggled, without luck, to remember anything from my past. I could hear the whispers of the other people on the ship as they pointed at me, "Is that him?", "Is it true?". I had no idea what they meant but they seemed frightened of me. Occasionally someone would come to feed me and check my wounds. I asked them why I was shackled, but they wouldn't answer, they would see to my needs then rush away as if merely being near me offered some risk to them.

A week passed before anyone spoke to me. A tall man approached me, he was clean shaven with a deep scar running from his left eye, which was missing, across the top of his head ending at his right ear which was partly missing. He wore a long black coat with no markings, brown pants, and black boots with a 2inch heel. I could tell he was very strong and had military training, I don't know how i knew that. He introduced himself as Max, Captain of the Pyrenees. I opened my mouth to speak but he cut me off with a sharp punch to the face. I staggered back in shock and instinctively reached for my gun which of course wasn't there. He scowled at me and said "SIT DOWN". "I will do the talking" he said in a menacing tone. "Now answer my questions carefully and honestly and i wont throw you out the nearest airlock." "Who are you?" "Where are you from?". His voice sounded cultured and well educated. He was obviously from a rich family. There was a certain quiver in his voice as if he too was wary of me. I told him all i could remember was after i woke up in his ship. I mentioned my fob watch and the name inside. He seemed a bit taken aback by the name. I asked him why i was shackled but he just walked away. As he climbed the stairs to the mezzanine above me he collided with a small child who was playing. He yelled at the top of his voice "WHO'S KID IS THIS?" A young woman ran up to the child and picked it up. "Sorry sir" she said "It wont happen again". "It better not or i will feed you to the Reavers." He raised his right hand and backhanded the woman's face knocking her down.

A month passed by with the captain asking me the same questions every few days. No memories returned so all i could do was tell him the same things i had told him every time he asked. On one occasion he told me i was found floating in the black between the planets Aberdeen and Heaven, with no sign of a ship. He had checked the name i gave him and told me the only record of that name was a single entry on a database as being on an alliance ship reportedly lost near the planet Dragons Egg. There was no birth record, no school records or any other records for that name. This information only made me try harder to remember.

I figured out this must be a colonist transport. There were a few families with children, some young couples and a few elderly people. About 6 weeks after i woke up a man came up to me and said to me "If i release you will you behave?". I was still not sure why people were afraid of me. I said "Of course, why would you ask me that?". "There is a rumour" he said. "People say you took on a whole ship of Reavers, but that's plainly ridiculous". He looked at me for some kind of reaction, but i just looked at him and said "What is a Reaver?" He looked at me with a shocked expression. "Oh", he said "I forgot, you have no memory". He explained what a Reaver was, but i had trouble believing a man could become like that.

More weeks passed and we made several stops on various planets picking up and dropping off people and cargo. I learned from the those that would speak to me that Captain Max had a fearsome reputation as a drunk and a killer with little respect for his crew or passengers. He would often come back from time on planet stinking of booze and covered in dirt and bruises, sometimes carried on board by his crew. Almost without exception when he came back drunk he would pick out a crew member or passenger and beat them viciously. I tried several times to protect the victim but he would draw his weapon and threaten to blow my head off. The crew started to be less afraid of me and i struck up friendships with some of the passengers. Two young kids, Mary and Joe, about 6 or 7 years old took a shine to me and i taught them to play knuckles and showed off my innate knife skills to their amazement. I wasn't sure how i knew how to handle a knife but it felt like the knife was just an extension of my hands. One night the captain came back from a night of drinking and Mary just happened to be playing knuckles in the cargo hold with a couple of other children while i was helping her mother cook dinner. The captain almost tripped over the children. He flew into a rage and kicked a young boy sending him sprawling a cross the floor unconscious. Then he picked up Mary by the throat and screamed into her face "I WILL TEACH YOU ONCE AND FOR ALL NOT TO GET IN MY WAY". He raised his fist and without thinking my hand went to the large knife i was using to cut vegetables. The next thing i knew the knife was spinning end over end the 20ft across the hold and ended hilt deep in his good eye killing him instantly. I walked calmly over to his body and pulled the knife from his head. Everyone in the hold, both crew and passengers, stood silently and looked at me with astonishment. I Turned to them and said "This man was a monster but he was your captain". "You deserve better". "If you wish it I will walk away from this ship and you will never see me again". There was silence. "If you wish it i will take his place as your captain. You will all be treated with respect and dignity." The majority of the crew now free from fear of their captain walked over to me and stood beside me. The rest gathered their possessions and left the ship. I payed them their dues and a little extra to find another ship.

As time passed clues to my past were few and far between. I discovered there was a link to The Alliance and the Central Planets. What that link was and what it had to do with my memory loss I could only guess. For now I travel the Verse with my crew (family) trying to stay out of harms way and looking for clues to who I am.