--
To: Supreme Commander Drake Thastus
CC: Executive Commander Mori
From: Tannik Seldon
Subject: Purchasing scanner technology
--
--Begin Message--
Greetings, Drake Thastus. My regards.
Executive Commander Mori did me the great honor of hearing out a proposal of mine the other day. No doubt he has informed you already, but the facts are well worth reviewing.
I am contacting you on behalf of the Zoners, who wish to purchase some of your advanced scanning technology for a project of their own. I am not at liberty to divulge details of the project, except that it is connected only to Zoner colonization efforts. They are willing to pay well for this technology: you are the only ones who have scanning technology sufficiently advanced for their needs.
Why are the Zoners using me as an intermediary? To be perfectly honest, they hoped that my past difficulties with the Liberty government would cause you to regard me with more sympathy than most. Like you, Drake Thastus, I have experienced firsthand some of the effects of corruption, although not nearly to the same extent. Besides, the Zoners trust me, and I have pledged to help them wherever needed: which includes this project.
During our discussion, Mori pointed out a significant technical difficulty: your scanners are custom-built to work with only a single ship. We can't simply buy a working scanner model and install it ourselves. Even if we did, we would almost certainly be unable to get it working without the help of Lane Hacker technicians. At the same time, the ship that requires the scanner simply cannot be moved to Vespucci for your men to work on.
One solution would be to provide your engineers with partial specifications and blueprints for the target ship: enough for them to design a scanner unique to this one vessel, but not enough to comprimise the security of the Zoner project. That way, the secrets of both parties could be protected.
Still, Mori pointed out that at Hellfire engineers would need to oversee at least the installation phase. Should the Hellfire Legion be willing, we would transport a team of engineers to the project site so they could oversee the work on the scanner. This presents some security risk for the Zoners, but they have authorized me to allow this. They hope that you will see this as an expression of goodwill and trust, and reciprocate by providing a team that can be trusted to keep a secret.
Of course, all of this is presuming a lot on my part: that you are willing to sell the technology at all. On behalf of the Zoners, I hope that you are: you have only to gain and nothing to lose. I reassure you again that this project does not in any way conflict with the interests of the Hellfire Legion.
Mori recommended that I provide you with as much proof as possible as to my own identity. Some of that information has been attached. Records from my service in the Liberty Navy, I suspect that you can obtain better than I. As far as the legitimacy of my connection to the Zoners, please contact Leroy Fenning of Gran Canaria: he will vouch for me. In fact, he's the one that I am working directly for, and if you need direct contact with him I can arrange it. As to proof of my personal identity as Tannik Seldon, I will simply provide a fact that nobody knows but myself. While I was imprisoned in Denver Hospital by the Liberty Department of Defence, you sent me a message. I did not know it was you at the time, but I have since come to be quite sure that it was: I'm confident enough to gamble this deal on the fact. You told me that the DoD had ordered the death of Governor Osorojo, and actually asked for my help although I never heard from you again afterwards.
Please let me know about this deal. I'm sure we can come to an agreement that is mutually beneficial to the causes of both the Hellfire Legion and the Zoners.
Comm ID: Legion Executive Commander Mori
Target ID: Legion Supreme Commander Thastus
Encryption: Regulator 4
*BEGINNING TRANSMISSION*
Sir, I apologize for my lapse of memory in informing you of this. I have been busy of late, and my business has included rooting out a traitor in the Legion - I will be making a report on that shortly.
Executive Commander Mori out.
*END TRANSMISSION*
(ooc: mods, this should prob be moved to Discovery Role-playing.)
Still no sign of Thastus. And to make matters worse, the rest of the Legion has been kept busy fighting with the Liberty Navy... apparently, none of them have time to deal with anything else. Blast, he thought as he shut down the comms console on the Aedos for the hundredth time this week. []This isn't going to work.[/i]
But no time for that now. He had a shipment of engine components due on Freeport IV, and an Outcast pirate near Honshu had put him behind schedule. And he still needed to make it through Shikoku, Galileo, Colorado, and California before he could get to Magellan...
Maybe somebody on Freeport IV would know what happened to Thastus. Or maybe he could find someone associated with the Hackers and bribe them to find out whether they Hellfire was going to get back to him at all. Come to think of it, a lot of Hackers hang out on Ames... probably a good idea to check there too. Kepler instead of Galileo, then...
Comm ID: Legion Executive Commander Mori
Target ID: Tannik Seldon
Encryption: Regulator 4
*BEGINNING TRANSMISSION*
I apologize for my lack of communication. We have been working hard to find Commander Thastus, and I have not had time for much of anything. I have barely been out on patrol all week.
I have no more time at the moment. I will contact you again soon.
--
To: Executive Commander Denelo Mori
From: Tannik Seldon
Subject: Purchasing scanner technology
--
--Begin Message--
I have relayed the terms you set to the Zoners, and they accept. Unfortunately, they (as well as I) are pretty busy with getting Freeport 11 rebuilt and back online. It may be some time before the resources are available: but once they are, I will contact you again to arrange delivery. Thank you for you help.
Comm ID: Hellfire Legion Supreme Commander Mori
Target ID: Tannik Seldon
*BEGINNING TRANSMISSION*
Excuse me, but a while back you contacted us concerning a purchase of our scanning technology. You told us it may take some time, however, it has been over a year. I require an update on your progress.
--
To: Supreme Commander Denelo Mori, Vespucci
From: Roger Fenning
Subject: Purchasing scanner technology
--
--Begin Message--
I apologize for the delay. The reason is simple: the man in charge, Leroy Fenning, has disappeared. He has not been seen in person for at least three months. It seems nobody had noticed: normal business from his office has been conducted by his associates and a couple of very clever holograms. The only reason I found out was because I have a key to his private office.
Being both Leroy's close associate, my priorities have been forced to change. My own projects will have to do without me for now while I try to track Leroy down. Meanwhile, I will work to continue the facade that Leroy inexplicably set up before he disappeared. I will also do my best to quietly gather the needed resources: I'm afraid I don't have quite the talent for these things that he does.
I don't think I need to tell you that word of this situation must not get out.
Please be patient. And if you discover anything about his whereabouts, I plead with you to please discretely transmit what you know to me. There is another reason why I am desperate to find Leroy: he's my son.
![[Image: aedos_mini.jpg]](http://students.cs.byu.edu/~sushi/aedos_mini.jpg)
