Your Past Always Catches Up
04 Jun 2019Elderrook
There's a few things I keep private about my past. First among them is the work I did with the Imperial Inquisition. I began training when I was still young, as most of my family had done before me. Most of my family served the Inquisition in one way or another, but only the rare individual showed an aptitude for 'Special Services' training. I turned out to be one of the rare few.Martial arts and various armed combat skills along with espionage and pilot training made up the core of my life for years. When I reached the proper age, I was inducted into the Special Services division. There isn't much that I did for the next ten years that I can ever talk about. I'll simply say that I did my duty to the best of my ability, and recognize the value of both the training and experience I received. When it came time for me to muster out, I did so, gladly closing that chapter of my live forever.
At least that's what I thought at the time...
The Agent contacted me while I was waiting for my my crew to finish unloading and reloading my ship. I'd been going back and forth between Brestla and Gui Xian. I carried biowaste on the way out, returning with a load of tobacco. Smuggling was risky, but lucrative. I was having a meal at a local diner when he sat down uninvited across from me in my booth. The conversation wasn't exactly pleasant, but we were both professional enough to keep our voices low enough not to carry. I don't care what you've heard, no one ever completely leaves the Imperial Inquisition.
A charismatic fellow who happened to be an outspoken member of the Hutton Orbital Trucker's Co-operative had become a thorn in the Emperor's side. I was in a unique position to pluck out the thorn. I'd been shipping cargo for the Co-operative for a while now and had a good relationship with them. Getting close to the target was the easy part. Getting out afterwards? That was always the real trick. They provided me with all the equipment I'd need, but made it clear that they'd write me off if I got caught.
The actual hit was nothing special. I'd survived far more challenging scenarios over the years of service with the Imperial Inquisition. A fast acting nerve agent ended his life. I almost got away clean. The resulting firefight barely made the news. A few days later I saw an unscheduled tax return show up in my private account. A day after that, I received a call from the Port Master asking me what he should do with my new ship. A shiny new Imperial Eagle has been delivered for me, a thank you for my time in service.
Whatever helps them sleep at night. As for me, I'm thinking about exploring some new business opportunities, so long as they remain separate from my business accounts. Speaking of which, my business license came through courtesy of the Imperial Inquisition. They might not take no for an answer but at least they pay well.