The Cover-up

eboobi · Posted: Mon Jun 12, 2006 10:34 pm Post subject: The Cover-up

E-bo was setup a kilometer from the Emperor’s retreat. She had watched the clerk walk this path everyday this week on her way back from the retreat. Today was the day to strike. She found it rather convenient that a person matching the description she needed was so readily available. It was almost time. E-bo slid into the tree line and scanned the area for her target, and Imperial patrols.

Right on time the clerk made her way down the path. She appeared quite aloof and was reading over some reports as she always did. E-bo set her carbine on stun and waited for the clerk to reach the opening. She checked her scanner for patrols and then sighted in her target. Satisfied that the woman was alone, E-bo squeezed the trigger and the woman dropped. Several data pads scattered around her unconscious body.

E-bo went to work. She pulled her speeder out of the brush and loaded the woman up. She made sure that all the loose articles were retrieved. They may hold some data that could be used later. After all was secure she gave the woman a heavy sedative to ensure she wouldn’t awaken before the grisly task was to be performed. Then she sped off to her safe house.
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"Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth." - Albert Einstein

"When government fears the people, there is liberty; when people fear the government, there is tyranny." - Thomas Jefferson

eboobi · Posted: Tue Jun 13, 2006 5:32 pm Post subject:

The woman began to awaken as E-bo bound her wrists and ankles to the wall. It had taken longer than anticipated to place the damaged armor on the woman. The armor was badly mangled and scorched. There was still dried blood on it from its previous owner.

“Wha… what are you doing? Who are you? Where am I?” The woman said half conscious.

E-bo didn’t respond to her. She went back to looking through the data pads that she had recovered. The woman stared at her and tried to free herself from her bonds.

“Why are you holding me, and what is this stuff, that you have put on me?”

E-bo continued to read. Without looking up she said, “Do you speak ryl?”

The woman stared at her and simply responded with, “I don’t understand your alien filthy alien tongue. I am an Imperial officer and you will release me at once!”

E-bo smirked at the woman. She switched on a translator circuit and spoke to her again, “Filthy alien tongue, yes, you are definitely an Imperial. Officer, I think not. And since you didn’t report to work today I am sure they are searching your home now and have found the information I planted there. Seems you are now a traitor to the Empire. You have defected to the rebellion.”

The woman had a look of horror on her face. She stuttered for a moment and then began to weep quietly, “Why are you doing this? I have done nothing. I am just a clerk!”

“It is unfortunate for you that you bear such a resemblance to an associate of mine. I have need of you. I was going to take care of this while you were unconscious but then I thought, no. It may be better if you underwent real combat stress. It will make it more believable.”

The woman’s eyes got large. She looked at the mirror across from her and noticed that her hair had been cut. And for the first time she saw the true damage to the armor that she was now wearing.

“You mean to kill me? No, I have…”

“You have no one. That is another reason you were chosen. You are an insignificant person with no family or other loved ones to miss you. You hold up in your house when you aren’t working and watch propaganda holovids. In truth, I am probably rescuing you from your mediocre existence.”

The woman began to cry.

“Right then, I suppose it is time to begin.”

E-bo picked up a scythe blade an begin the gruesome task.
_________________
"Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth." - Albert Einstein

"When government fears the people, there is liberty; when people fear the government, there is tyranny." - Thomas Jefferson

eboobi · Posted: Tue Jun 13, 2006 5:47 pm Post subject:

E-bo placed the blade in a recycler and picked up a blaster from the other room. When she returned the woman’s screaming had stopped. She was hanging somewhat limp from the wall fluids were draining from her mouth, nose, eyes, and ears.

“Its over now. Sorry to have to put you through this, really I am. But you are simply another casualty of this war.”

E-bo placed what was left of the helmet on the woman’s head and leveled her blaster where the faceplate had been torn away. She fired a blast destroying the woman’s face and extinguishing the life from her. She put the blaster down and prepared the body for transport.

When the task was completed E-bo sat at her subspace terminal and contacted Rinna, “I have the body ready. She will be transported to Lok directly.”
_________________
"Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth." - Albert Einstein

"When government fears the people, there is liberty; when people fear the government, there is tyranny." - Thomas Jefferson

eboobi · Posted: Thu Jun 22, 2006 5:54 pm Post subject:

Probably against her better judgment E-bo decided to attend the funeral ceremony for Isleh-lin. She wore a cloak and stood out of the way, hopefully going unnoticed. She watched the people file in and the Kiva explaining things about the ceremony to them. An inquisitor was there. That gave her reason for concern but she wanted to see how things played out.

The ceremony began. The members of the temple went to the underground level of the temple to complete the task and get rid of the last piece of evidence of E-bo’s crimes. Things could still go badly, but she was pleased to have this off her plate. There was still the issue of what to do about the real Isleh. She was still hidden out somewhere and E-bo hadn’t heard back from the man she contacted about the attack. Then again, he probably will just deal with it and not tell her.

She snapped back from her thoughts when the crowd started to stir uneasily. Apparently there was a bit of dialogue drifting up from the basement. She wasn’t close enough to hear and definitely didn’t want to walk through the crowd to get a better perspective. One of the troopers was stirring and talking about a problem.

The group returned from the basement. They had news that was definitely a surprise to E-bo. This person in the basement was a Replicant? They explained it to the others but E-bo already knew what that was about. But she hadn’t killed and delivered a replicant. The clerk she killed was a close resemblance but was far from an exact match. Someone had switched the bodies. But who did it? Rinna? One of the Temple members? Someone else? Worse yet, where was the body she had delivered?

Time to leave. The only thing she could think was get out of here. The crowd had turned into two sides staring each other down. This was going to get ugly. E-bo snuck out unnoticed in the tension. As she headed for her ship her only thought was finding out who had betrayed her.
_________________
"Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth." - Albert Einstein

"When government fears the people, there is liberty; when people fear the government, there is tyranny." - Thomas Jefferson