THE SCAPE
06 Dec 2021Jav Marlo
THE SCAPE4 DEC 3307, HIP 118311 system.
This is commander Jav Marlo, recording this log at Lubbock Market, an Orbis Starport on the HIP 118311 system.
Jav Marlo in the dock of the Mjolnir at Lubbock Market
The situation is very tense here. We might have won the first battle to keep the system under the control of Denton Patreus, but the Empire patronage party is still a minority at Lubbock Market. This is the main spaceport of the system, if we lose this place we lose the system. And supporters from the rival company keep arriving everyday. An uprise could happen any moment. I was just watching the local security forces disbanding an anti Patreus mob in one of the corridors when I received a message of Alix, the advanced COVAS of the Mjolnir, saying that Admiral Patreus had news about Ayumi that he wanted to tell me in person. So I headed to the docks.
(…)
Jav Marlo onboard the Mjolnir
Ok Alix. I am here. You can patch through the Admiral to the main screen. I am eager to hear what he has to say.
COVAS Alix: Welcome onboard commander. Passing the Admiral through.
Greetings Admiral. I guess that you have news of the upmost importance if you wanted to give them personally.
Greetings commander. You are right, I have found your partner, but I am afraid I the news I have for you are not good. The situation is now more complicated.
(Deep sigh) I am listening.
My spy onboard the flagship of Chancellor Anders Blaine says that Ayumi managed to escape from her cell.
Ayumi on her cell onboard Chancellor Anders Blaine flagship
You are saying that Ayumi managed to break from a security cell on the prison barracks of Majestic-Class Interdictor.
Exactly. I could not believe it myself but, somehow, she managed to create a power surge with her hands that overcharged the door circuits. My spy provided some images from the security cameras.
Ayumi overcharging the circuits of the cell´s door
I see.
I knew she was incredibly skilled and deadly, that she killed the full dotation of a military base just by herself and managed to destroy a Goliath skimmer on foot. But that is beyond combat progress. I would like to know how did she acquired that capability, and what else is she capable of doing.
(Sigh) I must confess that I did not knew she had that talent. Indeed, she is a mystery to me too. I am aware of course of her combat progress, flying and on foot, I know she is very skilled in hand to hand combat too and that the she fancies knives and swords. But I never knew she was able to overcharge circuits with her hands.
Ayumi escaping her cell
Well, that is not the end of her talents. It seems that she can mask her life signal too. The sensors from the ship did not detected her breaking from her cell. The alarms were not triggered. However, she cannot make herself invisible, that we know, and the cameras caught her.
Ayumi out of her cell
But even if she broke out from her cell, there must have been armed guards in the corridors, carrying armors and automatic weapons. She must have been unarmed. Somebody must have been watching the cameras, how did she managed to…?
Ayumi watching a guard on her way
They found the guard watching the cameras console knocked out. She must have edited the video signal to show a footage loop of her on the cell. Perhaps that is why she expended hours standing still looking at the camera. She must have had everything planned.
Ayumi hacking the surveillance cameras
(Sigh) Did she make it? I mean, did she managed to scape? Did she passed through the guards?
Before I answer that, commander, I am going to need that you indulge my curiosity. We are dealing here with an incredible talented combatant and assassin that can hack circuits with her bare hands and make herself stealthy. And I want to know where did she acquired those gifts.
Ayumi lurking a guard
I told you I do not know. First time we met was in the California Nebula. She was a protegee of the Allied Order of Exemplars, and I took her as a passenger on my ship. She was travelling to the Alliance space and I took her to Hamilton Gateway. After that, we partnered on to explore some Guardian ruins. I noticed she could be an useful asset. Then, we got ambushed by some pirate on Maia, and decided to explore the Formidine Rift together.
Ah yes, your trip to the Formidine Rift. I hope we will talk about it on another occasion. But you have not answered my question. How did she acquired her talents? They are quite unique and I want to know.
Ayumi passing by another guard
It must have been them, the Exemplars, they worship cybernetics, always trying to enhance the mental and physic capabilities of the human race. She once mentioned that the Exemplars bettered her. But I do not know how or what is she capable to do.
I see. I have heard of those Alliance cybernetic worshippers that watch over the California Nebula. They are quite secretive. And answering your question: yes, our gifted Ayumi managed to pass through the guards unnoticed and reach the dock of Blaine’s flagship.
Ayumi escaping the prison barracks
The dock? She must have been looking for a ship to escape.
Exactly. Everyday a commercial shuttle arrives to the Interdictor with personnel and supplies. She must have thought on taking that shuttle.
Ayumi lurking the supplies officer
And she managed to pass through the guards on the dock too?
Yes. Those are simple supply officers. Perhaps they are less diligent watching than their prison colleagues.
Ayumi passing by a sleeping officer
She made it to the shuttle and broke inside the shuttle through one of the landing legs. Then she knocked out the pilot.
Where is she now?
There is where things got complicated.
Ayumi watching the supplies shuttle
It seems that the surveillance camera controls of the dock are on a different circuit of the ones on the prison barracks. She was spotted, hiding on the docks, before she broke into the shuttle.
Ayumi hiding behind some crates
(Deep sigh) Did they catch her? Is she fine?
She was cornered. She left the shuttle and defended herself with claws and teeth against the guards. According to my spy, a dozen guards were needed to put her down, she sent six to the infirmary. It seems that she is incredible resistant to stunning bolts too but, in the end, she had no chance.
Ayumi cornered at the dock
Is she OK? Is she still onboard Blaine´s ship?
No, she is not there anymore. After the scape attempt, she was moved to another facility.
Where is she?
Have patience commander, let me enjoy the moment. In one of our previous conversations I asked you about Ayumi´s true identity and promised you that I would find out. Well, when she was apprehended they took a DNA sample for her detention file, standard procedure to identify prisoners, and my spy has provided me with that information.
Ayumi's recent detention file photograph
(…)
Your silence tells me that you do not know who she truly is… She never told you. After so many adventures together. (Chuckles) Perhaps you both are not so close as I thought.
To me, it does not matter who she was before I met her. I only matter the Ayumi I know. And I WANT TO KNOW WHERE SHE IS?
(Chuckles) Or perhaps I am right. Before I tell you where she is, let me tell you who she was. I suspected from the beginning that she was Imperial, but I never thought she would come from such a prominent family. Your… partner Ayumi was breed and educated to be the pride and honor of an old and powerful house. A true imperial princess, blonde and exquisite, as expected of the blood of the high patrons. And her name was… Eveline Hutchinson.
Hutchinson… never heard the name.
Of course not. Her lineage was severed from the history books of the Empire by the same person that was supposed to favor and protect them: Chancellor Anders Blaine. (Deep sigh) When Emperor Hengist Duval was stabbed to death the 5th of August 3301, a dangerous powerplay started. All the candidates suitable to succeed the late Emperor, me included, had to prove that we were not involved in the crime. At the end, her majesty Arissa Lavigny-Duval was coronated. The assassin was one close collaborator of mine, and it was not easy for me to prove my innocence, even being me who directed the military campaign that eradicated the Emperor´s Dawn, the terrorist group of the assassin. Princess Aisling Duval managed to contest the rumors against her. And in the meantime, Chancellor Blaine, purged several imperial families under his patronage that were suspicious of supporting the Emperor´s Dawn. The Hutchinson were one of those families.
What happened to those families?
Nobody knows. They were vanished. I was in no position to confront Blaine then. He acted with total impunity. And I have been looking for survivors of that purge in hope that they could connect Chancellor Blaine with the assassination of the Emperor, but I never found one… until now.
(Chuckles) You believe that Ayumi was once Eveline Hutchinson and you think that she might help you gain some leverage to confront one of your political adversaries. I don´t buy it.
On the contrary, I am sure Ayumi is Eveline Hutchinson. Can´t you see, the massacre of the Estrada Manufacturing Base, all the attacks to the Alacagui Holdings factories, it is not a coincidence. The Hutchinson were the administrators of Alacagui Holdings before their demise. I think that Ayumi found something on those bases, and I want to know what. Here, let me prove it you. This is the last picture we have of Eveline Hutchinson on the Empire files. Well, until now. It was taken the day her family was apprehended for alleged connections with the Emperor´s Dawn. Their trial was of course a farce. And nobody heard of the Hutchinson name again or dare to ask.
Ayumi's old detention file photograph
She has changed a lot since then. She was a true beauty. What happened to her? The scar on her face, did she get it travelling with you?
No, that was before. She told me that she and her family were sold as slaves in the Pegasi sector.
I see. It must have been very hard for her. From a life of privilege to slavery. Those pirate clans are savages. Most of the leads my spies followed trying to locate victims of the purge end in the Pegasi sector. I have no influence there. Is there where she lost her eye?
I think so. She told me that the pirate that bought her intended to give her as a present to the pirate lord of the Kumo Crew. She managed to scape but lost an eye on the process.
(Chuckles) I cannot believe it. So the tale is true! I always thought it was a legend for pirates and bounty hunters. She is the imperial girl that refused Archon Delaine! Ha, ha, ha. It cannot be true. She is a celebrity! They say that lots of people have tried to catch her to deliver her to Delaine, and they all disappeared. Unbelievable!... And she has managed to survive all this time being one of the most prized preys of the galaxy. (Chuckles) Well, we both know her true nature… she is no prey no more but a predator. And an incredible dangerous one. Oh, I would love to meet her.
Then help me rescue her.
I would like to. But I cannot. She is beyond my reach now. My spy says she has been taken to Cremona Penitentiary. A maximum security prison for political criminals in the Facece system. Nobody escapes Cremona Penitentiary.
Cremona Penitentiary
I am afraid I must change the terms of our deal. Facece is the most important military bastion, and Chancellor Anders Blaine home. I cannot confront the Chancellor openly, it would trigger a civil war on the Empire. If you decide to attempt to rescue her, you will do it solo, I cannot intervene.
Then I'll do it myself.
It is not so easy. If you want to break in into Cremona Prison, first you will need to reach Facece, and the system is lock but to the highest imperial navy officers. Ayumi is out of your reach too.
Then I'll find a way.
Listen to me commander. I know I cannot stop you from trying to rescue her. That is clear to me. And despite all the odds against you, I truly wish that you succeed. You see commander, you have proven to be a quite resourceful person, I have faith in you, so here is what I propose: Finish what you started. Bring peace to this system. Help me end the war in HIP 118311 and I will rise you to a rank on the military navy so high that it will grant you access to Facece.
But she might be suffering. Grant me the access and I promise that I will work for you from now on.
NO. Do as I say. YOU MUST TRUST ME. Is she has been sent to the Cremona Penitentiary is because the Chancellor already got all the information he wanted from her. And if she is keeping her alive is because he thinks she still might be useful. It could be a trap, for you, or for me, and she is the bait. The Chancellor knows you are working for me now. You see, I protect you. We need to wait. Finish your mission, let me gather all the intel on her situation I can, I will give you access to Facece.
Jav Marlo talking with Admiral Denton Patreus on the cockpit of the Mjolnir
This deal is getting worse all the time.
You have no choice. And remember commander, even if I support you on this operation, I cannot be involved, do not expose me; if you are discovered or trapped, I will deny all knowledge and will not be able to help you.
I understand.
One last thing commander. I feel that we will not be talking again for a while. If you succeed and manage to rescue Ayumi, I am sure that you will want to abandon Imperial space as soon as you can, but please consider bringing her to me. I will make it worth it. I want to know what she discovered on those bases and… I might have some critical information about the fate of the Hutchinson family that she might want to know. Good luck commander. Patreus out.
Damn! What do I do now?
Jav Marlo on the cockpit of the Mjolnir docked at Lubbock Market
COVAS Alix: Commander, the situation on this spaceport is getting more unstable by the moment. Our rival faction is taking over more of the facilities every day. I suggest we move to another base. We could be trapped here if they get control of the docks.
No. We are staying. But keep the ship ready for taking off anytime. I need to find a way to finish this war.
Jav Marlo signing out.