The Wrong Side of the Empire
15 Jun 2021Isabella Adair-Levine
[April 6th, 3307.][Chicomoztoc System]
[Orbik Orbital]
Isabella felt her ship, the Krait Mk II, dip as the landing legs clamped to the pad and came to a rest. The engines powered down as the pad lowered into the hangar bay. Isabella got up and stretched. It had been over five hours straight of transferring cargo and supplies from system to system in Imperial space. She'd been taking these jobs as of recently as they were simple and typically out of the way of being shot at by military vessels and Pirates if you knew how to avoid them.
She exited the ramp to prepare for the offloading of the cargo but instead of being met with a crew she was met with 8 fast approaching helmeted and armoured soldiers pointing a mix of Laser and Kinetic type weapons at her. 2 of them aiming at vital areas like her head. Shocked, she froze in place and didn't move until an order from what seemed to be the leader of this team shouted at her to put her hands up slowly and face away from them. She looked at them one last time before turning and noticed they all looked the same with their helmets and armour. You couldn't see faces to give them that humanly look. It gave off a very unsettling vibe. In fact, she was petrified of them. Each and every one of them were indistinguishable from one another. If intimidation was what they were after, they got it. "Hands up! Turn around! Do it now!" She complied rather quickly this time and put her hands up. She turned to face away from the Soldiers. She wanted to say something but words wouldn't come. She couldn't say anything or really knew what to say. She was in a state of complete shock. But it didn't matter though, seconds after turning she immediately felt a sharp electric pain in her neck and everything went black.
…….
Groggy and disoriented, Isabella lifted her head from the cold metal table her face had been resting on. Her vision came back quickly and that's when she realized she was seated at some metallic table in a small room with no windows or furniture. Just the table, three chairs including the one she sat in and a simple bright light above her. Isabella groaned at the wet feeling on the right side of her face and went to wipe it but her hand stopped halfway. She was cuffed. Just her right hand. "Ugh." She used her left hand instead to wipe the saliva off her face. She'd obviously drooled being passed out for god knows how long. She looked around again before speaking out. "Hello?" Nothing. She went to say something again but the door slid open and in walked two men in uniform with little to no markings. They both looked stoic and emotionless. Not a sign of anger and especially not joy of any kind. It was off-putting but Isabella glared at the first man trying to give off a tough personality. "Was that use of force really necessary? You seriously tasered me in the neck. Who does that?" The first man locked dark eyes with her's saying nothing while the second guy spoke. "We took precautions that we saw necessary and efficient." Isabella scoffed at that answer. "Whatever. I did nothing to provoke such an attack. You...what are you? IISS? You're overstepping your boundaries. You can't just assault pilots like that." The second man slowly drew a half-smile and raised his hands. "We can do what we see appropriate and necessary. I won't repeat myself again. Now I'm going to ask the question and you're going to answer them truthfully."
"...and if I decided to tell you to go screw yourself?" He let out a quick chuckle shaking his head. "No. You won't. You'll answer the questions I provide you. It's simple on both our ends. Now, what's your name, your year of birth, and place of birth?" Isabella thought about telling him off but that wouldn't get her anywhere. So she obliged to his questions. "You know this already by pulling a scan I know you took on me. I don't know if this is being taped for a record or something but please get to the real questions you want to ask."
"Very well. We flagged your cargo on your approach to landing. You had highly illicit cargo on board your ship that ties you with very bad people. I want to know who and where you picked this up from. Why you took the cargo and brought it here to this location." Isabella gave him a puzzled look. "What illicit cargo? I was transporting food supplies. And what very bad people? Don't say who I think it is. Because if so. No. Absolutely not, that's impossible. You guys are out of control over all this." The second man sighed as the first man slowly began to walk behind Isabella.
"Firstly, there isn't anything yet confirming this was a Neo Marlinist Liberation Army member. But you're now an accomplice to possible terrorists with the illicit cargo we flagged that looks mighty suspicious. You had food, battle armour, weapons and explosives. You just lied and my friend and I don't appreciate liars, Levine. It wastes both our time and can lead to an unfortunate turnout at the end. For you, that is. So, don't do it again." She closed her eyes and cursed under her breath realizing lying wouldn't get past them. The man continued.
"Second thing I want to mention is that we attempted to trace your ship log back to the location you met this unknown individual but everything up to the last three systems you jumped into is corrupted or unrecoverable. Not just your ship's logs but the messages he sent you as well. We know he transferred data to your ship of what you needed and where to get the supplies. You had to have corrupted them to hide the location and person. Why?" Isabella turned her head to look at the man behind her. He was standing uncomfortably close. An intimidation tactic no doubt. It was making her uncomfortable so it worked. "No. I didn't. I don't know anything about this so just let me go."
She stood up but was immediately pushed back into her chair by the man behind. She twisted backwards to juke a right-hand jab but her cuffs caught her wrist and stopped her less than halfway. "Don't put your hands on me! I'm serious! I'll actually hit you." The man in front of her stepped closer to the table. "If I were you, I'd sit! I'd also advise you don't hit a member of the IISS. Lying is one thing but assault is a whole other. Answer the damn question, Levine." She glared back at the man who touched her before sitting back down to answer. "I don't know anything. I just said that. Yes, I saw the illegal cargo and took it. He assured me it was for the support of local miners on a planet that was being raided by pirates. They needed supplies, weapons and explosives I guess. I don't know anything other than what I was told. I just played along. So can you two piss off and let me go now?" The man sighed and gave a nod to the guy behind her. Isabella flinched when a Data-pad landed on the table in front of her. She looked up at the man in front who gave her a wave to look at the device. She looked at it, seeing her Pilot's license. "What! Revoked!? This is bullshit! I told you what I know, I'm not lying! You can't do this to me." He stepped in and swiped the Data-pad on the table for her. It now showed her credits. She had a balance of zero. Her blood boiled and she wanted to throw a punch but thought otherwise.
"No! Are you kidding me? I'm not with this guy! I took a job from some mission handler who gave me the location of this...person you're after. That was some system forty light-years or so away I think. All I know is that my mission handler gave me the location and I arrived first before my contact showed up. He uploaded data to my ship's systems that gave me the location of the products that needed to be picked up and delivered. He said he'd give me the delivery location and what the product was once I got there. So I did what he asked and picked up the cargo. I noticed the illegal cargo and asked what it was. He said it was supplies and weapons for a small colony of miners that were under siege by pirate raiders. I figured it was sketchy considering his distorted picture and some stupid name...atonement or something like that. Some dumb name. Look, it was another job for me - if he was a terrorist, how'd I know? I'm telling you everything. I also believe whatever he uploaded to my ship had some kill switch or virus or something that corrupted the data before arriving here. I didn't do it to my own ship you assholes. Can't believe you blamed me."
She lifted her right arm. "Now I told you everything. Take these off and give me everything back. I don't deserve this." The man smiled, taking the Data-pad into his hands. "You're still a suspect to possible terrorism Ms. Levine. Demands are not made by you. You're not off the hook that easily." The man took a deep sigh before he continued."You sound genuine and so I'm inclined to believe you. Therefore I do appreciate the semi cooperation on what you could tell us. You served the Empire well. She thanks you." Isabella rolled her eyes at that. "You screwed me! How's that service? I want to contact my father. He's a Captain in the Imperial Navy. He'll raise hell once he finds out about this crap you put me through. What you're doing is completely unacceptable." The man simply shrugged as if not to care. He looked down at the Data-pad in his hands and began swiping at it. Isabella watched him for a moment before he stopped.
"Karl Levine, Captain of the Imperial Majestic Class Interdictor 'Majesties Light'. He's had quite a fulfilling career. Loyal to the core. I'm sure he'd understand the situation his troublemaking daughter is in. In fact, you've had quite the troubling time within the Imperial Navy. Insubordination, frequent fighting and unprofessional fraternization with a pilot. Tsk tsk tsk, not a good record, Ms. Levine. Really not a good record. " She leaned back in her chair and huffed deliberately loud. "Oohh! Wow! I'm impressed. You know so much about me. Yeah, I was bad. I didn't want to be there but I was practically forced. But that doesn't matter, I want to contact my father."
"No, not at this moment you won't because here's what's going to happen. We're going to take you from this room and move you to a holding cell. We'll work on obtaining your Pilots Federation license back. Your credits are frozen temporarily and we've seized all your ships for the time being as we investigate this matter." She smiled at getting her license back but frowned immediately when told about her ships and credit. "All my ships? Every single one?" He nodded once. "Not my exploration ship. Not my Diamondback. I spent weeks modifying that. Spent months living in it. That's my home. You're not taking that because I won't let you."
"Ms. Levine, you need to understand that we're in a tight spot right now with keeping extremist/terrorists from harming more civilians and better yet, harming the Duval's. You remember March 11th, right Ms. Levine? The 9 Martyrs. You recall that blow to the Empire? This type of thing can not happen again and we'll do anything in our power to make sure it doesn't. That's my job and if I have to step on people in order to keep the Empire safe, I will. You will not be making any more demands and you will do what is asked of you. This isn't the Navy, you're not going to be slapped on the wrist for disobedience." He bent over, lowering himself to Isabella's height in the chair. "Here we'll do worse. I can make this hell, believe me. He straightened out and resumed. "You're loyal to the Empire, no? I expect you to cooperate and help not me, but the Empire and the Emperor herself. Do you understand?" Isabella looked at him a moment feeling much more Intimidated than before now having a direct threat made against her. She tried not to show it but it didn't matter. Her anger at how she was treated and her Diamondback caught up really quickly. She was thinking of saying something smart back at him but remembered she was in the hands of the IISS and they're never held accountable if something happened to her. She let herself cool down before speaking.
"Fine. I'll do whatever you ask. But I want my ship back after you do whatever you do with it. All of my ships. And if there's one thing missing I'll...ugh. Forget it. Just don't destroy anything. Oh, and stop calling me miss Levine. You're making me sound like some old school teacher." She caught an ever so slight chuckle from him. "We'll make sure it's the way you left it. Don't worry. Right now we're moving you to your temporary cell." The man stepped closer and grabbed the ends of the cuffs on her wrist, loosening them. Isabella brought her hand back towards her and rubbed her wrist. "You can't just let me go? I'm not whatever you think I am. I'm just someone who took a bad job." He motioned towards the door."No. I explained to you that you're still on the hook with your ties to all this. Look at the cell as a temporary home. You're just detained currently. Let's go."
Isabella slowly got up and walked towards the pressured door that opened when she got near. She was escorted down several corridors until being directed to another set of doors that slid open to reveal multiple holding cells. Most of them were empty but a few had people in them. She was taken to one where the door opened and the man motioned for her to enter. Isabella turned to look at him once she entered. "I'm not going to forget about this. You people overstepped your boundaries. This shouldn't be the way citizens are treated." He shrugged. "This isn't some democracy where citizens get a voice on what's right or wrong. You're a suspected terrorist until proven otherwise."
The door closed before Isabella could retort so instead she gave an obscene gesture hoping he'd seen it before she was left alone in her small cell. They'd taken nearly all her freedoms away in no more than an hour. Her license, her ships, and her credits. Even on the side, a bit of her dignity. Isabella sat on the edge of the small bed in her cell reflecting on everything that happened. She partly blamed herself for taking such a job but also felt furious that they treated her as if she wasn't a citizen of the Empire. Just some scum criminal. In her eyes, it seemed unfair and from now on she'd avoid being affiliated with the Empire. Isabella no longer felt proud but rather betrayed. She was still an Imperial at birth, but as far as anyone's concern, she was an independent pilot with no ties. That was only so if she'd make it out of this and she knew she'd make it out.
(decided to flesh out that one log I made up awhile ago. Especially since this is the turning point in trusting the empire for this character.)