Deep in the Heaven's Gate instillation, in an empty meeting room, Ghods sat in an armchair next to a computer terminal. He was looking for a certain Yuzu Takeda, who disappeared sometime around the Kusari Civil War. The open records were more than sparse, listing him as Kusari Naval Forces affiliation and Missing In Action. No last known location, no listed relatives, nothing. Open networks weren't going to help at all, which was why he was at Heaven's Gate. This was a far cry from open networking. The archives here would probably give him everything he needed to get a passing grade on the mission.
Ghods looked back to the document he'd been given. "If you can find something about what ship he used, how he vanished and the location of the ship..." "A passing grade", Netsakh reminded him. "Not a severe breach of security." "I'm not stupid."
She sighed. "Sometimes I wonder."
Ghods turned back to the computer.
Code:
>Open: Archive 342796
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Title: Why is your codename so edg...
NOTICE: Part or all of the information beyond this point is being concealed from <Outside Entities> for security purposes.
Archiver: Samuel Johannes, Division 9 Agent in Training
Status: Deceased. Captured and Executed by Hanta Iseijin 113th operatives in the Chugoku system.
Living Relatives: Sakura Yuki, Wife, Liberty Citizen, Priority 0. Sinon Yuki, Daughter, Liberty Navy 46th Strike Force, Priority 2.
Priority: Concealed. Operation by 113th operatives to prevent leak of information. Outside entities are to be kept unknowing of this target's status.
>Open: Archive 342796 Status
Target Yuzu Takeda was found to be in possession of the knowledge of the identities and indoctrination status of two Iseijin personnel in the Kempeitai after accidentally bearing witness to a covert assassination in which one operative exposed telepathic abilities. Mental stability in the target decreased with the onset of paranoia and insomnia. Soon after, the target attempted to contact Kempeitai command to expose the identities of our agents, but was routed by a third agent. He was then convinced to fly to the F8 Sector of the Chugoku system, where he was ambushed and forced to eject in an escape pod. The escape pod was located and destroyed, and the remains of the ship were towed to Heaven's Gate for dismantling and evidence destruction.
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"Well damn. That makes things harder." "A. Passing. Grade." "I knoooooooow. Have some faith." "You kidnapped a child for literally no reason." "A child that you get along fine with. Now, if you could help me some here, and ask the mindshare about any information?" "Iseijin is part of the K'hara mindshare. I am part of the Vagrant mindshare. A small extension of a mind cannot just ask an entire other mind for information." "Like... all of Iseijin?" "Yes, all of Iseijin." "Where do the Vagrant bearers go, then?" "Vagrant blessings are rare. You can count them on one hand. You're a special case, dimwit. I'm a special case." "Wow. I'm going to have to talk to Thraike about his issues with getting it up." "I hope they hurt you."
He leaned back in his chair and flexed his fingers. Three small needles shot up from his wrist into the air. With a wave of his hand, they began levitating. He was getting used to telekinesis without relying on Netsakh. "Well, any ideas on how to pitch this to that girl?" "See if there's any remaining signs of the ship. Pull up Naval Forces records that show him leaving and never returning. End of story."
He made a finger gun, and the needles quickly aligned over his index finger. "I'm trying to get payed something more than just another handshake." He brought his thumb down, and one needle shot off, embedding in the wall. "Then just censor that report really hard. It'll boil down to "flew off to Blood Dragon space and never returned", so you can have flavor and no material."
He brought down his thumb again, sending another needle into the wall, almost touching the first. "So, something like "he was just a normal pilot, until he started acting strange, and charged off and disappeared, ship and all", right?." "Right. Enough to confirm a death, but not enough to confirm anyone's involvement."
He brought his thumb down again, sending the last needle right through the first, splitting it in half. "Then I'll go out tomorrow and check the area for any kind of remnants. How much could the stuff deviate in 9 years?" "About the width of a large moon."
He sighed, getting up from his chair and making his way to the temporary sleeping quarters. "Damnit. Just when I thought I wouldn't have to put work in."