CMDR'S Log 24
15 Aug 2024Eric Vonsa
03/09/331007:00 Universal Galactic Time
Location: Senatorial Palace, West of Leeson City, Chione, Prism System
CMDR Eric Vons POV
"I believe that our best course of action is to lay low here Senator." I said. "You would be at the center of your powerbase. And it would be both reasonable and right." I added. "And what about you?" Aurora demanded. "After what you told me you heard while you were held hostage. I know of a group that opposes Azimuth Biotech. I will go over what they have on Azimuth Biotech and if I need help I will contact them and both Lavigny's and Loren's Legion for help." I answered. "Senator, There's a incoming comms request from an unspecified sender. Marked as private for you, and the Commander." An aide interrupted apologetically. Slipping into the room. "We'll take it here." Aurora said dismissing the aide. "Yes, My Lady." The aide said before slipping back out and closing the door. A minute later the communication transmission appears as a holofac display powers on. At the top left corner a message starts flashing.
It reads.
////Connection Established.
////Security Encryption Protocols Engaging.
A second later it reads.
////Protocols Engaged.
////Provide Authorization. Aurora looks at me. "What authorization?" She asked. "I don't know." I reply. I give it a few minutes before I add. "I hope it's not the ones that I think they have it asking for." I said. "What ones? Whose They?" Aurora demanded. "My previous employer. Before I left and became a Commander." I answered. The message flashes again.
"Commander Eric Vons, we know you are receiving this. Provide the Authorization Codes. Immediately." I sigh and gesture to the display. A holographic keyboard appears and I enter a set of codes. When I had finished I gestured to Aurora to have her come read the screen. She glanced at it then at me. "Foxtrot. Uniform. Charlie. Kilo. Yukon. October. Uniform. I don't get it Commander. As I gesture to the send button I explain. "Take the first letter of each word and put them together. You should have two words then." As the codes were sent Aurora's mouth formed an O. Then I received a nasty glare. "Commander, that was just sent from my personal residence systems to an unknown party." As she breathes in to continue a group of new messages appears.
////Codes Accepted.
////Transmission routed to Secure Network.
////Securing Uplink.
////Uplink Secured. A few seconds later a image of a woman appears. "Senator Aurora Rebia, Commander Eric Vons. You two have been busy." She said. "What do you want?" Aurora asked. "To help." The woman on the other end replied. "Help?" Aurora asked. "Yes, you have a problem. One with a very simple solution. That the commander has probably provided but I am sure he left out a fair amount of details." Came the response from the woman. "What details?" Aurora said glancing at me. "Most likely the one that he is going to run. Disappear, and that he doesn't plan on coming back." The woman said. Aurora turned towards me and opened her mouth but the woman spoke up. "Not his fault. He's following protocol." She said. "Protocol? What protocol?" Aurora asked. "The compromised asset protocol. He's defaulted to his training." The woman answered. "I can provide both of you a solution." She added."Commander, your latest med scan shows your body is in perfect physical shape. You keep it a well honed machine. Which is respectable, although it appears that the accelerated growth rate hasn't stopped like it should have months ago. The fact that you are able to pull off the stuff you have in the past few weeks is impressive for a body that is physically 20 years older than you. I doubt it will last though." She said. "Commander, what is she talking about?" Aurora asked. "It's nothing." I said. "That is not true, Commander. Not true at all." The woman said. "The Emperor herself wants you to get it fixed. After all the Imperial Intelligence severance package must be paid out properly and early death after the years of service would be poor compensation." The woman added. "What are you talking about?" Demanded Aurora. "I used to work for Imperial Intelligence." I said. "I was one of the operators assigned to the Salomè/Loren case. Partially because I am from the Prism System, and partially because I was really young and no one would expect someone my age back then to be capable of doing what I was doing. I had a promising career for someone my age back then. I was assigned to initially just monitor the system Something that IISS normally does. And then the Reclamation happened. Suddenly, a dull post that was only staffed by me, had me running a full on intelligence op." I said. "After the Reclamation happened I was assigned to keep an eye on Kahina Loren. I was to report anything unusual. So when I say you are very very much more like her than you realize. I mean that. And I probably am one of the few people who can truly say that." I explained. Aurora stared at me. "This is not a prank or a practical joke?" She asked. "No, as for what Captain Saskia Landau said about my physical condition. I got a fresh body. A perfect clone. And a new identity as part of my pension and severance package. And it is failing. As much as I hate to admit it." I said.
"You have two problems Commander." Captain Saskia Landau said. "I have the solution to both." She added. "At what cost?" I said. "You. Your current identity. We need to send an agent to retrieve some NOC data. You are on the list. And the only one available." She says. "In return, we transfer your consciousness to another body. One that doesn't have the genetic cloning mistake of your current one." "And what about the Senator? Tetco? My ship? My place in the Lavigny's Legion?" I asked. "Your ship will be scrubbed from all records and become an asset for Imperial Intelligence. We will get you your place in the legion under a new identity of your choice. The Senator has generated quite a high profile and Intelligence has already made a plan to fix that. As for Tetco, she will become an asset to Imperial Intelligence." Captain Saskia Landau answered. "No." I said.
"I have the authority under subsection 8, of paragraph 6, section C-9 as the head of Imperial Intelligence Division to forcefully pull you back into service, Commander. As that NOC data will compromise you and others on the list. All of whom are currently actively deployed, if you understand my meaning. And those who you associate with currently." She said as she glanced at Aurora. "It's why the Imperial Intelligence Division has been doing it's best to suppress and cover up the more compromising events that have happened recently. And why none of it, especially where the Senator is involved has made it into the news sources like the Imperial Herald, or the Imperial Citizen. Something that we are going to continue to do." She added. "After all, that's something that none of us want." She added. "Ok, fine." I said. "But I have conditions." I added. "Naturally." She answered. "Tetco, remains in service to Aurora after I wipe both her and Aurora's memories. I get to continue my position as her security advisor from a distance." I said. "That's it? That is a big ask commander." Captain Saskia Landau said. "Can it be arranged?" I asked. "I don't know yet. I'm going to have to check on that." She replied. "Fine." I replied. Captain Saskia Landau nodded and then terminated the communication channel.
The second the holofac display disappeared Aurora started in on me. "Wipe my memory? Simply disappear and never return?" She demanded, outraged at the thought. "Now, I know that sounds bad so I should probably explain." I said. "You are Damned right you had better explain." Aurora said dangerously crossing her arms. "Compromised Asset Procedure is for the agent to bug out and disappear. Dependent upon an assessment done by the Intelligence Division will determine for how long. Intelligence then sends a different agent to wipe the memories of the compromised agent's most frequent contacts. The one that they send typically wipes almost all memory of the person from the contact leaving them with only enough to validate the fact that someone else was with them during events in case someone else comes asking questions about it." I said.
"If I do the wipe I can control just how much I take away. I can leave you with enough to identify me when I return under a new identity. Something that Intelligence Division wouldn't. And I can pass it off reasonably because of your status in the Empire, and it being well documented that I was your pilot and chief of security. You completely forgetting about that would be very hard to explain." I explained. "And Tetco?" Aurora asked. "There's an order on that list I have. One that I can use to essentially prevent her access to all the memories I need her to not access. Suppress them until I say a certain word or phrase. And that would include the list of orders I issue in a certain sequence. So until I provide the code word. No one would be able to use them. And any other orders off the list that I implemented before will remain in effect even though she won't be aware of it." I said.
Aurora stood there for a minute before she let out a sigh. "Is this the only way?" She asked. "I'm afraid it's out of our hands, My Lady. Intelligence can pull me back into active service. And then they will do the wipe. If I negotiated successfully then I will get to do it and I know that there's a chance of you remembering more of me than intelligence would permit and being able to recognize me. And that the next time I see Tetco after I give her Order 9, I simply tell her that code word and it'll all come back to her. And that would be a lot easier to do if she was with you." I said.