Frame "Shift"
24 Aug 2021Xanter
I’ve no words for the events of the last several months. In my last log I mentioned incoming contacts. It turned out it was a Federation patrol group. I had made landfall on Deciat 2 in a crater just south of a planet's equator. They must have come in dark. By the time I realized they were there, they had already broken the atmosphere and were on me before the engines had fully charged. As expected I was “advised” to shut down and make the hatch ready for boarders. What wasn’t expected was that my “boarders” was a single Federal Officer. The man was tall, lanky and pale, even for a spacer. He was completely unremarkable except for the weight of his presence. He carried himself and spoke in such a way that you immediately understood how dangerous he was. He was the real deal. No security Officer looking for a promotion. His voice was calm and matter of fact as he accused me of crimes against the Federation and then showed me security, sensor data that showed my ship docked with an Imperial Cutter belonging to a high ranking member of the Imperial Intelligence sector. Can you guess which system I supposedly met this officer in? Yup, that very same Blanco 1 system. I don’t know what tech they used to make the unknown ship look like mine but it was obviously good enough to convince Federal Intelligence. My denying it would only play in to it. This Kizin was sharp and I needed to let this play out.
The longer he spoke the more I came to realize he was not here to arrest me but, then… what? That’s when he smiled and told me exactly what I was just thinking. Kizin then tapped his comm and thanked whoever was on the other end for their assistance. He then looked at me and plainly stated the Federal Code regarding espionage. He slowed his cadence when stating that the consequences of this crime was immediate execution. He asked if I feared death. I honestly hadn’t given it much thought but now, as I stood there, I realized I did not fear it. However, I wasn’t ready. There was more I wanted and needed to do. Not seeing any point in lying, I told him as much. With that he pursed his lips, then his face twisted in to what appeared to be an expression of amusement and he asked me to walk with him.
We walked down my ramp then out and towards a waiting gunship. As we walked he explained that he had learned that opportunities present themselves when they will and a wise man knows when adherence to the law means losing the advantage. I asked Kizin if this was his professional or personal opinion? I just wanted to see if my size up of the man was correct. He laughed and then stopped short. “Are you daring me to kill you Commander? Ah, no, that’s not it at all. You have my measure or rather you will. I think we understand each other now, yes? You will live and I will be in touch soon.”
By this time we had reached the ramp to his ship. He quickly turned to face me without any hint of the amusement that was present a second before. “Run and I have you killed, fail me and I have you killed. Do as I say and you continue to breathe. Maybe, just maybe, if you are really good, we find out what we’re able to about your daughter’s whereabouts. With that, he turned back around and was up the ramp. The ship took off and was almost out of sight when I realized I was still staring at the spot where he had stood. How did he know who I was or more importantly anything about you?
*Yawn* I’m tired and my head hurts. I’ll log the rest tomorrow….