Microstory 656: Steal the Scales of Tamsin the Judge

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History has not painted Eido Tamsin in the best light. Many saw her as a major detractor to Sacred Savior, Sotiren Zahir’s vision for the galaxy. But her instinct to doubt everything encountered made her an invaluable member of the team. She came to be known as Tamsin the Judge, and used her natural skills to exact justice upon all who deserved it. In her possession were a special set of scales; a marvel of technology. When a subject’s hand was placed on one side of the scale, it allowed the operator to determine whether what the subject was saying was the truth. When the other hand was placed on the other side, it forced the subject to say the truth. Using only the one hand was uncomfortable, but not impossible to withstand. Having both hands on the scale at the same time, however, was said to be horrifically painful, as it somehow completed the circuit, causing a mysterious energy to pass through their body. Subjects under Tamsin’s judgment were expected to speak the truth with no scale, or with only one hand on it. If ever they drove Tamsin to force the second hand, they would severely regret not being honest in the first place. The Scales of Tamsin, upon her death, were buried with her body. As it is in any culture, even that of the dirty communists, grave robbing is a despicable sin, one that few tolerate. It was foretold, however, in the Book of Light, that the scales must be procured so that they could later be bequested to Tamsin’s replacement. The prophecy came with an unfortunate side effect; a deadly one, in fact. Whomever literally took the scales from Tamsin’s grave would be required to keep both of their hands on the scale for a period of one standard hour. The longest any subject has survived under these conditions was seventy minutes, and they died from their injuries shortly thereafter. The Savior did not explain why this had to be done, or what it was meant to accomplish, but of course, Highlightseers had no shortage of volunteers. A horde of believers arrived at Tamsin’s gravesite on Egroda, hoping to make the ultimate sacrifice for the greater good. A young woman named Isaura Peak was chosen out of a lottery of thousands. What they discovered after she was finished digging up the grave was a miracle. Without hesitation, she placed both hands on the scales...and somehow...experienced no sensation of pain. She could feel the energy passing through her body, but it caused her no harm. A hundred minutes later, she removed her hands with a smile, and handed the scales to the Highlightseers. We should have known. Sotiren Zahir would never ask his followers to feel needless pain.