Articles - Sworn to Secrecy - Part 1

Part One

January 3rd, 29483
3:40PM RST*

Near the former neutral town of Borealis; two Omni-Pol guards in full armor patrol the area, as usual, another boring and uneventful afternoon shift guarding the Radar Dish.

"Hey Agustin, can ya lend meh some creds man? I wanna get meh some bronto burgers" the atrox asked.

With a voice that reflected indignation, his solitus partner replied "How many times do I have to tell you... the name is Acevedo, where I come from it's impolite to address someone by their first name unless they are family or a friend."

"Man you martians are so god damn uptight. So, what about them creds partner?quot;

As the guard is about to reply they both notice that an Omni-Pol officer appears over the hill, walking towards them. Their helmets HUD display immediately shows the name and rank of the officer. It reads: Captain Oscar Reyes.

The guards straighten up and turn to meet him. Their superior stops a few feet from them, they salute and the man salutes in return.

"Sir, we still have two hours left on duty here. Is something going on in town? The comm has been quiet all day."

"Nothing boys, you're both being relieved, that's all."

"Sir?quot;

"Are you deaf? you're both to report back to your squad leader, now!"

"Yes captain Reyes!"

Both guards salute again and move to town in haste, they know that not following orders quick enough may lead to an unpleasant post.

The officer waits until they're out of sight, then scans the area for humanoid lifeforms and any surveillance devices. Seconds later, he sighs as he detects neither.

He takes his helmet off, and feels the cooling breeze that caresses his face. His armor suit has temperature control to keep him cool, but he has always liked to feel the wind, specially today.

His mind is clear, yet his feelings are in conflict. All his life he had been loyal to the company, and now he was about to betray all that he stood for. Twenty years of service, all down the drain. He knew what he was doing was wrong, yet he had no choice.

Talking to his superiors would only put his family in more danger; if the unicorns got word of it, he and everyone he knew would get arrested and "interrogated" outside the jurisdiction of the department.

People end up missing all the time, and most reports only read "Missing in the Outzone" and cases close without a second look at files.

No, he couldn't risk his wife, family and friends on trusting his superiors this time. Too much was at stake.

All he needed to do, was place the small chip at the bottom where as programmed it would use the dish itself as a transmitter and send out the encoded information to the recipient right after midnight. The chip would then self destruct and no evidence would remain of his actions.

All too easy. Yet many have been caught dealing with the clans, and paid dearly for it. Their families shunned, some exiled. It was not unheard of, that traitors would get their insurance patterns "accidentally" corrupted in transit to prison and arriving in a bodybag.

Closing his eyes, he even recalls once agreeing with such actions, that all traitors should be perma-killed. Now the roles have reversed and he wonders how many of the dead had been put in the position he was now.

Scanning once more to make sure, the same results come up on the scanner. He jumps down to the bottom of the dish and places the chip right at the center of it. Stepping back he takes a look and feels confident that it won't be noticed by the naked eye.

Now all that he needed to do, was call the local squad leader to explain that his "surprise inspection" was over; and that he could send the two guards back to patrol the area.

That only took a few minutes, and since he had done inspections before, nobody would question him.

All that he needed to do was wait until his clan contact confirmed the delivery, and then he would have one hundred million credits transferred into an account under a false name and he would be able to make things right.

Fifteen minutes later the two guards returned, saluted their superior and continued their patrol. He warped to the Entertainment district in Omni-1 and began to walk towards the Rompa Bar; the occasion called for a drink.

"After this is all over, I'll tell her. I hope she'll understand." he thought as he sighted the entrance to the bar. Little did he know, that he would never get a chance to explain to his wife how he got into the hole he was trying to dig himself out of.

Restroom in Neuters R' Us
4:45PM RST

The restroom was dirty as usual with garbage on the floor; broken and dirty tiles here and there. The old "Fight the System" graffiti near one of the two stalls is still there after several years; all appears to be normal, except two cloaked atroxes whispering to each other while one is holding a jamming device in his hand.

"Did he do it Will?quot; asked the larger atrox.

"Looks like he did Bubba. The tracking bug we put on his boot showed he went to the dish as instructed. We should be able to pick up the transmission from 4 Holes tonight. Are you sure this guy is reliable and this ain't a trap of some sort?quot;

A few seconds of silence passed, then he replied.

"Will, there are times when you can spot a desperate man from a mile away. This omni needs creds badly. I don't know why, and I don't care why. My rangers will get the intel and bring it to us; as always. If all goes well, we'll have crucial information on enemy movements for the next month. This will help us in our current covert operations."

William nodded.

"After all, he looked for us. If he was Intern-Ops he wouldn't have done it in the way he did. He's taking a great risk, let's hope he doesn't get caught... we could use him again."

"And if we are being set up?quot;

"Then... we'll put an end to the career of Mr. Reyes. It's not too hard to drag someone far enough into the outzone to cancel out his insurance,"

"Uh.. I thought that was planet wide, we can even reclaim at the battlestations."

"Wrong there my friend. The battlestations have their own on board reclaim system, that is why when you die you wake up back inside and not on Rubi-Ka."

"Oooh!"

"If the body is too far from a reclaim terminal, it won't make it there. That is how dusters usually get rid of people."

"So, what next?quot;

"Talk to Charlie about making some new ID cards, just in case things don't go as planned."

"You really think that's necessary? he charges an arm and a leg you know."

"Well if the transmission is detected and traced, you can bet at least the 'Pol will be turning up to ask questions, and if we really are unlucky, the 'corns themselves."

"Unicorns... god, those bastards give me the creeps. I got shot in the head by one of them just because I stared at him too long near ICC. Those "peacekeepers" didn't lift a finger."

"Will, save it for another day, you have work to do, get to it."

"Sorry Bubba. I'll go look for Charlie and see what he can do for us. I'll see you later at the usual spot."

Bubbacrush nodded to his companion. William nodded back and exited the restroom. leaving the bar. Waiting a few more minutes; Bubba turned off his custom made jamming device, and placed it back into his backpack.

"If you only knew what that man is really giving us Will, you would understand. But then, you don't need to know my friend." he thought. He sighted, and felt his shoulders heavy, full of responsibility and secrets. Secrets which he hopes would weaken the corporation further.

One day, Rubi-Ka would be truly free and maybe, just maybe, he will be lucky enough to see that day with his own eyes.

Meanwhile, there were matters to attend to; things only he could handle in person. Time to get his rangers briefed.

*=Rubi-Ka Standard Time, same as GMT in real time.

Thanks to all the Rimor roleplayers who have agreed to appear in this mini-series. Everything which is done by their characters has been approved by the players behind them.

Last updated on 12.07.2011 by Khuri
Luis Odicio
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