Post by EmperorMyric on Mar 22, 2021 16:45:34 GMT
Admiral Amastacia went alone through the dimly lit sky corridors that connected from building to building. She avoided the streets and all other paths on the ground as she did not want to be seen. Even as some people using the sky corridors saw her, they didn't stop her.
They couldn't because she was armed. A rogue admiral with her sidearm in it's holster and a telescopic baton in her hand, hidden by the large admirals coat she wore.
She was taking great steps, moving fast, like an officer that was truly in a hurry to get home before her off duty hours were up. And she had to. The UBI and the UPD were on her tail.
The two Unionist law agencies, the UBI being a system wide agency and the UPD being assigned to only Ultrasina, had sent officers and agents to find her and take her to the station for questioning, persuasion and confiscation. Meanwhile, the UMP was also sent to arrest her and subject her to a court martial. But for now, she was off their hands thanks to the help of her closest soldiers, sailors and officers.
She stopped at a tall building that housed several banks. She went into an almost empty lobby to sit down and regain her bearings. The Admiral sighed and sniffled as she embraced her coat as she took it off and tried to think which ways she has to go through to knock the tails off of her.
The Corporation didn't quite seem to know what to do with their wayward employee. She was their only presence in the UWA (so far) and it seemed the hope of everyone paid more than her that she could somehow be leveraged into a more... established position for the Corporation. Her title seemed to change daily. Security consultant one day, communications liaison the next, then regional operations manager, then booted back down to consultant...
The point was, Scelene hadn't been at the summit when it all went down. She'd been forced to watch it all unfold on television like everyone else. She supposed that was fair, she was a nobody after all, no matter what Black Rabbit had decided her title would be today.
But she sensed opportunity. Defections, if the UWA was anything like home, were rarely well received by the government one was being defected away from... and while defecting for love seemed to work out well for everyone in the movies, real life tended to be more... complicated.
But the facts were simple, Amastica was in a decidedly vulnerable position... and seasoned commanders were something Black Rabbit was in desperately short supply of. She'd already been riding her motorcycle (imported and expensed, thank you very much Black Rabbit) through the city streets when she'd begun getting phone calls from upper management. She'd explained to three different people that yes, she'd seen it, and yes, she was on her way, by the time she actually arrived downtown and began the decidedly difficult task of locating one person among a crowd of... far too many.
Oh how she despised crowds.
She had the advantage, after several calls and calling in more favors than she would have liked, of at least having an address for the Admiral's residence. She supposed she would head there first... and there were only so many ways that it made sense to get there from the summit's location.
So for now it was the waiting game. She sat astride her motorcycle and meandered her way through the streets, keeping an eye open for her quarry and slowly working toward her residence.
She'd have to emerge eventually...
Scelene hoped so anyway.
UBI Special Agent Haraldi Saffrona was also one other person hoping to reach Amastacia before anyone else.
After serving for like 4 years as a agent, this was her first run in the field of Ultrasina for a particularly hard to locate person. Admiral Amastacia, formerly a United Fleets officer, now a defectee to the Dectrose.
In this case, her objective was to find and fix Amastacia. Once she got Amastacia talking in one place, her colleagues could grab her.
She too was in her own vehicle, a hover car. As she avoided traffic jams caused by rare protests in support of the admiral. She got her way by virtue of her badge and once she got a proper fix on the residence of Amastacia, she headed fast.
Meanwhile, Amastacia emerged. The most infamous admiral of the day was spotted by a Unionist camera crew who were reporting on a protest. The crew tracked her live on televisions heading to one of the train stations of the city. She disappeared in one of those trains.
Now the task of finding her had to be narrowed as the UBI and UPD tried to get help from the train station. But this was all false. Amastacia had sold her coat and her uniform for a fortune tellers clothes and sneaked through alleys. But she could not avoid security cameras. Her face was taken by one and then through a long way, it reached the televisions.
She looked like she washeading for her headquarters. But the truth was not there. She simply had one more way to try to get to her home. Where her adopted sister was waiting.
Alleys had always been far more Scelene's speed than crowded walkways. She took a weaving meandering path through the alleyways, searching for her quarry and, as more calls came in about rapidly rising police activity, keeping an eye out for anyone else who might be on the trail of the rogue admiral.
She couldn't move as quickly in the narrow twisting roadways... but in the end it seemed her decision paid off when she caught sight of a woman who had a passing similarity to the Admiral.
She turned her bike toward her and came to a stop just behind her, raising the visor on her helmet for a better look.
It was her. Had to be.
"You know, defection generally works better if you don't announcer your intention to defect on live TV," She commented, raising her voice to be heard over the idling of the bike's engine.
The admiral froze. Almost immediately, she drew her sidearm on the other woman and said "Fuck...I don't know who you are but if you are here to get me to talk to the government, I won't. You....wait...it's you, the corporate officer." She put her sidearm away and said
"Why are you tailing me?"
"Today I'm a corporate head hunter actually," Scelene said with a shrug, seemingly unphased by the gun that had been in her face moments earlier.
"I've been instructed to talk... hmm, employment opportunities with you before this whole... defection thing gets out of hand."
She blinked. Then she told her with a sorrowful smile "We should talk somewhere better than an alley. And I think you already know about my promise to my lover. But go ahead. Shoot what you can." The admiral then got closer to the corporate head hunter and whispered "But seriously, we should move. Can I ride on your bike with you? Got a safehouse?"
"Oh no, wait. I need to get some things from my residence. Can you get me there please?"
"Police might be there already, but I suppose it doesn't hurt to roll by real quick," She swung her back pack off, struggling momentarily to withdraw a second helmet which she promptly held out to the Admiral.
"The corporation believes we may be able to offer you a... compromise of sorts. One where you can still see your lover but without all... this," She gestured vaguely at the surrounding area.
She didn't say anything for that matter as she got on the bike. She then waited for her to get moving as she finished putting the helmet on and secured it and held on to the driver, embracing her from behind.
Scelene gunned the engine, using her foot as a pivot point as she turned back toward the street. The full face helmet had the benefit of conveniently hiding one's face from all manner of prying eyes, both electronic and organic, and so Scelene didn't see much to be gained in skulking about in the alleys.
She moved back onto the main roads, making her way toward the Admiral's residence with the rest of the traffic. For now she was quiet, it was hard to talk on a motorcycle at the best of times, and so she opted to wait until they reached their destination before continuing the conversation.
Amastacia's official residence was a large house that had only one floor and a basement. It was located close to the suburbs of Ultrasina but Amastacia didn't seem to want Scelene to take her there. The Admiral was repeatedly trying to get Scelene to stop by tapping her shoulder and gesturing to her to stop somewhere. She was trying to say something, perhaps she had another address, another place in mind. And true to what she was trying to do, when they were getting close, they could see many police cars surrounding her house, police officers already in her front yard, attempting to get inside her house with a portable ram.
Scelene continued past without stopping or slowing down, waiting until they were well out of sight and sound before pausing and turning toward the Admiral.
"Where to?" Scelene said simply.
Admiral Amastacia told her
"Use Highway 35. It will take us to Velvet Square Apartments. I actually live there most of the time with my sister, a former Naval officer named Calesius."
Scelene nodded and once again resumed driving, following the directions of the Admiral toward the indicated address.
It took longer than reaching her house but it was worth it. Traffic was light and they were not followed. Afterwards, when they got to the apartments, Amastacia showed her companion where to go. They went up to the seventh floor and were greeted right away by her sister, a taller person than she was.
Scelene followed silently for the moment, waiting for some indication that the rogue Admiral was ready to hear her out as they made their way up to the seventh floor and into the apartment.
She spoke only to introduce herself to Amastacia's sister, but left out her ever changing title, introducing herself just as 'Scelene' for the moment.
The two sisters then sought some privacy. They spoke inside the apartment for a while in their language and then they went out to Scelene. The sister said
"Scelene, I appreciate what you have done to help my sister come here but I am concerned. Suppose the Dectrose find out you approached her?"
"What if they do?" Scelene said with a shrug. "I'm a recruiter for a for-profit corporation attempting to recruit a talented officer. Last I checked job offers weren't illegal in any capacity. Besides, she hasn't even heard my offer yet,"
"Still though, it seems to me, as a sister who reads and tried to learn about the world, that there may be issues between your corporation and the Dectrose. I assume it is public knowledge for the Dectrose to hear that your corporation did something to offend them? Perhaps threaten?"
"The Commonwealth's government has a certain degree of animosity toward the Dectrose but it hasn't manifested in any meaningful way as yet," Scelene said with a shrug, digging through her pockets for her cigarettes. "There's no embargoes or closed borders and most importantly no ban in place on corporations conducting business with or in the Empire. That's the crux of my job offer after all, I'm offering your sister the opportunity to have continuing access to the Empire and her lover without all the mess of defection,"
The sister then went silent as she turned to Amastacia who told Scelene "Tell me about your offer. I may consider it. If it means that I can pay you back a favor while also seeing my lover and serving his people..." She shrugged and sharply told her "Come on, say it."
Scelene opened her messenger bag, withdrawing a pile of papers and holding them out to the two sisters to read as she spoke.
"The first step would be getting this 'defection' thing taken care of," She said simply. "Our legal team seems to think that if you self surrender without actually committing any crimes then it should be extremely difficult for anyone to make a case against you. Your outburst at the summit could be easily argued away as an emotional outburst at the realization you would be unable to see your lover and since you haven't actually defected yet, and surrendered willingly, it would likely be difficult to make a case. Rather than risk a trial our legal team is confident the prosecutor would settle for immediate resignation and revocation of security clearances. At least that's their sense given an admittedly cursory look at UWA law,"
She paused and rubbed the back of her neck before continuing.
"Once that's taken care of the corporation will want to hire you. You'll be brought on and pending successful completion of relevant licensing and training courses will be given the title of Senior Operations Manager, with all the pay and benefits that come with the role. This includes danger pay if you're being deployed to any kind of a warzone. As part of your hiring you will be given a work visa for the Commonwealth and applications will be submitted for you to receive dual citizenship. Once you have that... then as I said there's no closed borders or anything with the Dectrose and you'll be free to visit them at your leisure."
She paused again debating whether or not she should reveal the corporate interests behind the offer and after a moment came to a decision.
"The hope of course is that the Dectrose will take out a contract with the corporation," She said finally. "In which case you would be assigned to the Empire as part of any contracted forces."
The two sisters were about to say something about it but they were interrupted when a hover car parked close to the apartments. Out came a female human dressed in shorts and a sleeveless shirt...wearing a combat vest that had the words UPD written on the front and back. She was looking around, not noticing them on the floor above her.
Immediately, Celesius told the both of them to hide in her apartment.
Scelene did as the other woman said, stepping inside. She put the cigarette between her lips but for the moment left it unlit.
"Well?" She said after the moment of silence had carried on for a few moments longer.
"Not to unduly pressure you Admiral but time is not exactly on our side here and we'll need to act quickly if you intend to accept our offer,"
Amastacia thought about it. Then she said "If you can really promise me my lover, then yes. Yes I agree to your offer."
Scelene nodded and smiled.
"Alright then," She said. "Do you have a communicator?"
"Yes I do. I---" Said Admiral Amastacia before being interrupted by a series of knocks on Celesius' door. The officer said "Excuse me, Miss Celesius? This is the UPD, I'd like to have a word with you if that is all right? Are you alone?"
Immediately, Celesius rushed to the door and said "Yeah, I'm alone! What's the problem?"
"We're looking for your sister, Miss. Her name is Amastacia. Have you seen her?"
Celesius then hurriedly gestured to Amastacia and Scelene to get out of the apartment. She pointed to an open balcony and emergency staircase nearby.
"Come with me and let me do the talking," Scelene said with another of her easy smiles. She turned and strolled toward the door, taking the unlit cigarette out of her mouth and tucking it behind her ear.
"She's here," Scelene said strolling toward the door and extending a hand toward the officer. "Scelene Korse, Black Rabbit Security Corporation. I've been with her for a couple hours. Might I inquire as to what this is about?"
The officer frowned and said while Celesius was shocked and Amastacia froze.
"My name is Haraldi Saffrona. Ultrasina Police Department. This is about Admiral Amastacia. I was instructed to speak to her and bring her to the station for questioning, arrest, trial and handover to the government for her actions in the summit." She refused to shake hands with Scelene.
Scelene retracted her hand after a moment, her smile falling quickly into a frown. She didn't say anything for a moment, drumming her fingers against the door frame and eyeing the officer.
"Do you have an arrest warrant?" She said finally.
The officer nodded. She produced a holographic device from her vest and activated it, showing to her the digital arrest warrant. It was signed not only by the UPD Commissioner but also the...UBI Director? Who was this officer?
Scelene glanced over the warrant and snorted, smiled, and then began giggling. The giggling only lasted for a few moments before she handed the device back to the officer.
"That's too much," She said as the giggling subsided. "Treason is a bit of a stretch don't you think? Heh, heh hooo~ man, alright, I'll accompany her. I'll need to see your ID and badge number if you don't mind?"
She nodded with no expression whatsoever on her face, showing her her badge and ID. It turns out that she lied about being for the UPD and was in fact a UBI Special Agent. She then smiled ironically at Scelene and said "I lied but point stands: We're getting her anyway, either way. And you may accompany her provided you surrender your own ID and other credentials proving that you are of that company?"
Scelene quirked an eyebrow at that writing down the ID and badge number.
"Ms. Amastacia won't be accompanying you," Scelene said handing the ID back. "You've lied to all three of us here about your identity so I'm afraid I can't say with any degree of certainty that the credentials you've just handed me are authentic,"
Scelene turned to Celesius.
"Call the police," She said calmly pulling out her own phone and dialing.
"I suggest you leave," She said to the officer while the call connected. She stayed at the door, facing the officer and began speaking in a different language once the call connected, explaining the situation to her supervisor who immediately began making calls of his own.
The agent just started to laugh on her own too as she jerked a thumb over her shoulder and said to Scelene
"Whatever, corp gal. I got back up. They're on their way too."
She then pulled out her own phone and faced the corporate woman as she too spoke to her superiors in the agency and in another UWA language.
"Well then I suppose you ought to get them," Scelene said with a smile.
Meanwhile, elsewhere, and several million miles away D'Arcy O'Flannigan, the acting ambassador to the UWA, was roused abruptly from sleep by a series of alerts coming across her communicator. Groaning she grabbed hold of her communicator and glanced through the contents of the messages popping up before muttering a series of curses.
She was on her way to a summit with the UWA and a couple of Pact nations and now was the very definition of the wrong time. Nonetheless she dug through her contacts and dialed up Secretary Blue. She didn't waste time with pleasantries, she was much to tired for that, as soon as she had her on the line D'Arcy asked quite simply:
"Secretary Blue, why do I have Black Rabbit asking about filing harassment lawsuits against the UPD and the UBI?"
Secretary Blue herself was enjoying her time on her own with a cup of coffee and a small plate of potatoes and minced pork. She answered D'Arcy after she asked
"This is probably because a Black Rabbit presence was at the area when the UPD and UBI were attempting to arrest the suspect. Perhaps this is because of a troublesome officer or agent?"
D'Arcy glanced over the message she had received from Black Rabbit's CEO, rubbing her eyes as she did.
"The letter I've received," She began slowly. "Claims that a UBI agent by the name of Haraldi Saffrona falsely identified themselves as an officer with the UPD... there's more in here about stalking a 'Talent Acquisition Manager' and a conditional employee... Amastacia? She's been 'baselessly accused of treason' according to the letter,"
She trailed off and sighed, sitting down heavily on her bed and holding her forehead in her hand. She didn't need this. Especially not now. Relations with the UWA were still new and she didn't want to start them off with a lawsuit between a major corporation and the UWA's law enforcement agencies. She wanted this quiet, and she wanted it gone.
"Secretary," She began with a heavy sigh. "The Commonwealth would very much like to avoid an incident here,"
"I too would like to avoid an incident. I was about to enjoy my breakfast and a good day of work. Anyway, if that is so, what can I do for you, dear D'Arcy? Perhaps it will be better if I invited you to speak with me here. Or shall I come there to where you are?"
Spoke the Secretary. She did not seem to let her voice go left or right. It simply as as it was. It was thanks to her being a Syran and also being just a Secretary. She kept her cool and added
"Well, dear Ambassador?"
"I'm not on world at the moment," D'Arcy answered. "I'm on my way to a meeting with representatives from several Pact nations as well as your own government..."
She ran a hand through her hair and sighed.
"Okay how about this? I'll have one of my junior relations officers head down there with some legal representation for Ms. Korse and Ms. Amastacia. If we can keep the proceedings transparent I think that should appease Black Rabbit for the moment and we can deal with this in greater detail once I return?"
"Ah." She remembered. "I am so sorry I forgot. And sure. I will be happy to see to that. I will do what I can as a favor to you."
The Secretary then paused and said
"And yes, of course. I hope you enjoy your time there at that meeting. Give my regards to our representatives."
She paused again and asked
"Will that be all, Dear Ambassador?"
"That will be all," D'Arcy said. "Have a pleasant day Secretary,"
She let the line go dead, sent a quick message back to Black Rabbit and collapsed back onto her bed with a groan.
"Fucking Scelene Korse," She muttered, closing her eyes.
~~~
Scelene nodded and hung up her phone, glancing toward the agent as she returned it to her pocket. She turned to Amastacia and walked over to her.
"Diplomats and lawyers are on their way," She said with a reassuring smile.
The agent also was done with her call. A few minutes later, sirens could be heard approaching.
As for Amastacia she agreed but said "Thank you, Scelene. But...I am afraid I have to tell you that even if so, they will still try to get me. Even if that agent is crooked, he is right about my crime."
"Maybe," Scelene said with a shrug before smirking. "But say what you will about Black Rabbit the simple fact of the matter is that we can afford very expensive lawyers."
Despite whatever anyone has to say, Amastacia was taken anyway by the UBI and UPD to the station. There, the lawyers of both sides for and against her would have to take their part in this drama. And for them to try to get Amastacia to either accept or decline a plea deal.
At this time, Amastacia was waiting for the turn of the Black Rabbits to talk to her after she spoke with the UWA legal teams.
The lawyer Black Rabbit had hired was already at the station when Amastacia showed up, along with a man who introduced himself as junior foreign relations officer with the Vestahl Commonwealth.
"I'm just here to observe," He said to her.
He and Scelene left her alone with her lawyer then who smiled and sat down.
"Well there's good news and bad news," He said, flipping open a binder and going through his notes. "The good news is that their entire case hinges on your outburst at the summit... the bad news is that... well... you had an outburst at the summit that was on live TV,"
He paused and looked up to her.
"We can go to trial, bring in character witnesses, make your statement seem like something Secretary Blue goaded you into saying and I'd say we stand a decent chance of getting an acquittal... or we can try to settle. I can try to convince the prosecutor to accept a guilty plea on a lesser charge. You'll be dishonorably discharged, lose your pension, security clearance, and some of your memories but no jail time. It's up to you in the end though,"
"I agree with that. I truly don't want any of us to go through a long trial. I'd like us to get this done with as soon as possible. And also to be with my lover, Mergheriti. I really miss him very much and I just...I just want to be with him as soon as this is dealt with." She said. She paused to let her own words sink. Then she said with a much more gentle voice "Is that all you'll tell me? What other things are there for me to do?"
"Black Rabbit is paying my fees," The lawyer answered. "They'd like me to get your signature on a conditional employment contract. Not that they don't trust you to keep your word but..." He shrugged. "You know how it is with corporations."
She nodded to that and asked for a pen. She also said "Forgive me for not having a pen of my own. I could not bring any. I....I also have a request. Can you please let Scelene in so she could listen to me?"
He handed her a pen and left momentarily, returning with Scelene.
"What's up?" She said as she entered the room.
"My request is in case I am....if the government I once loved and served decided to do things to me that I don't know they'll do...I must request that you allow my sister to serve you under the same contract. She is as good as me and needs a job too." She said, refusing to sign the contract unless she got her request through or heard. She added "Please. At least this can be good for you if ever I am affected negatively."
Scelene was silent for several long moments, tugging idly at her lip while she eyed Amastacia. There was something... concerning about the request. She wanted to press, ask why she seemed to think something would happen to her... but in the end she decided it was probably just nerves. It wasn't every day you got accused of treason after all.
"You'll be fine," Scelene said with a smile. "But if it will make you feel better,"
She nodded and the lawyer turned through the contract to the last page. He quickly wrote in the clause and Scelene initialed next to the addition before sliding the contract to Amastacia.
Amastacia released a deep sigh of relief and happiness. She gave them a smile and bowed her head respectfully to them both a while then rose and signed the contract. She then returned the lawyers pen and then turned to Scelene to tell her
"Thank you so much. I will owe you this for as long as I am working with the corporation."
"Don't worry about it," Scelene said taking the contract and dropping it into her messenger bag. "Happy to help, happier to have you with us,"
"I'll go get the prosecutor," The lawyer said standing and leaving with Scelene again.
The Admiral then became quiet and started to enjoy her time alone in the room for now. She could rest and attempt to restore her confidence for what was to come.
When the lawyer returned he came back with the prosecutor. Scelene left Amastacia alone and then came the waiting, and the bickering. Her lawyer spoke first, demanding charges be dropped, the prosecutor countered by demanding a full confession in exchange for the death penalty being taken off the table...
And back and forth it went. The prosecutor asserted he had her on video saying she would defect. Her defender insisted the video was worthless.
"She admitted to defecting!" The prosecutor snapped.
"She was goaded into it by the Secretary Blue. You know what we call that? Entrapment!"
And on it went. Back and forth and forth and back. She was a treasonous dog, she was a decorated war hero, she'd left the summit and avoided arrest, she'd left the summit and gone to her sister's apartment.
"Not exactly laying low is it?" Her lawyer insisted.
"She tried to lose the police tailing her!" The prosecutor countered.
"You mean the police stalking her," Her lawyer shot back. "She had her communicator with her the whole time. They never called her and asked her to come in for an interview, they just jumped straight to tailing her! I would have tried to lose them to!"
She was a criminal, she was being set up, she broke the law and had to be punished, no, no, the government was out to silence a political opponent.
Finally, several hours, many angry words and too much instant coffee later the two lawyers arrived at a compromise.
"She pleads guilty," The prosecutor said. "To conduct unbecoming of an officer, dereliction of duty and insubordination. She'll be dishonorably discharged, her security clearance revoked and her memory wiped. Final offer,"
She glanced to her attorney, who met her eyes, and gave a nod.
"You're lucky she loves this country too much to drag its name through the mud at trial," He said. "I would rake you over the coals and have you crying for your mommy,"
There were several parting salvoes, some arguments over wording, and then finally a series of signatures went onto the page and it was over. It would take a few weeks to get all the paperwork squared away and her court date, where the plea could be entered, wasn't for a few weeks yet... but that seemed to be that.
------------------------------------------
The government gave her the needed time. She was allowed to spend her last days before her sentencing and her procedure. She spent that time with her lover, her sister, her XO and the rest of those who were friendly or loyal to her. When the time came, the court, in live TV, stripped her of her rank, erased her security clearances and then sent her to the UBI for them to take her to a mind wiping facility. That part was no longer public.
Under the cover of night and in a convoy of UPD, UBI and UWA MP vehicles, they brought her to Skesrazica Government Medical Center (It was a medical center that was never put on UWA maps or registered in the UWA systems. It was only considered in the records of the Secretary.)
There they took her into one of the procedure rooms. There, she was instructed to discard all her clothes and replace them with the clothes of a patient: A white pair of shorts, a yellow short sleeved shirt, a pair of cheap slippers and a plastic bracelet on her left hand with her name on it.
She had to register her name on some documents, signing them and finally surrendering her personal ID. After that, she was told to sit down on the procedure chair and was attached to the mind machine. Amastacia watched as the machine was turned on but not yet activated against her. She turned to see who was going to watch.
It was mostly government officials and high ranking officers of the UBI and the UWA MP and other secret agencies of the UWA. Men and women watched her from several meters away as a team got started on the procedure. She was allowed to say her final words and to be recorded on video and audio by a deputy of the Secretary, who could not come.
"Bring me to my sister and my lover. If I die, do so. If I don't, do so. Just make sure I don't go away erased from all things."
Afterwards, a gag was put in her mouth. A blindfold around her eyes. A pair of plugs in her ears. And someone injected a cocktail of drugs to make her relax, to kill pain and to make her senses shut down temporarily.
Then the procedure began. It was quite painful. It was not supposed to be. Even as she trashed against her restraints, legs kicking out and chest heaving, the mind machine went through a few fatal errors. This would be the cause of Amastacias side effects. While of course, all memories of UWA military secrets were taken away from her and all other memories about UWA civilian secrets were erased, she also lost her memories of her sister and other family and friends. She felt herself lose her memory of her XO. And came the worse...
Nightmarish memories flooded her mind, making her trash more and more despite the drugs. She was terrified, wasting herself as the observers either continued to watch or turned their eyes away. It took a few more minutes, the machine also erasing her memories about her childhood. Only her memories as a teenager up to her current age were kept.
Someone asked to stop the machine. Someone else refused. The procedure went on until she was rendered unconscious. This affected her severely, giving her amnesia and extreme memory loss. It went on again and again until finally the procedure was finished. She was released from the machine and taken to an operating room.
There, her body was cleaned up and the doctors started to do what they had to do: Install some nano machines that could help the UWA watch her once she is given up to whoever is willing to get her back. They also injected her with additional drugs that will continue to affect her for months. Effects? Unknown.
Now Amastacia, as she was before, was no more. She is just a woman, a female stranger.
They couldn't because she was armed. A rogue admiral with her sidearm in it's holster and a telescopic baton in her hand, hidden by the large admirals coat she wore.
She was taking great steps, moving fast, like an officer that was truly in a hurry to get home before her off duty hours were up. And she had to. The UBI and the UPD were on her tail.
The two Unionist law agencies, the UBI being a system wide agency and the UPD being assigned to only Ultrasina, had sent officers and agents to find her and take her to the station for questioning, persuasion and confiscation. Meanwhile, the UMP was also sent to arrest her and subject her to a court martial. But for now, she was off their hands thanks to the help of her closest soldiers, sailors and officers.
She stopped at a tall building that housed several banks. She went into an almost empty lobby to sit down and regain her bearings. The Admiral sighed and sniffled as she embraced her coat as she took it off and tried to think which ways she has to go through to knock the tails off of her.
The Corporation didn't quite seem to know what to do with their wayward employee. She was their only presence in the UWA (so far) and it seemed the hope of everyone paid more than her that she could somehow be leveraged into a more... established position for the Corporation. Her title seemed to change daily. Security consultant one day, communications liaison the next, then regional operations manager, then booted back down to consultant...
The point was, Scelene hadn't been at the summit when it all went down. She'd been forced to watch it all unfold on television like everyone else. She supposed that was fair, she was a nobody after all, no matter what Black Rabbit had decided her title would be today.
But she sensed opportunity. Defections, if the UWA was anything like home, were rarely well received by the government one was being defected away from... and while defecting for love seemed to work out well for everyone in the movies, real life tended to be more... complicated.
But the facts were simple, Amastica was in a decidedly vulnerable position... and seasoned commanders were something Black Rabbit was in desperately short supply of. She'd already been riding her motorcycle (imported and expensed, thank you very much Black Rabbit) through the city streets when she'd begun getting phone calls from upper management. She'd explained to three different people that yes, she'd seen it, and yes, she was on her way, by the time she actually arrived downtown and began the decidedly difficult task of locating one person among a crowd of... far too many.
Oh how she despised crowds.
She had the advantage, after several calls and calling in more favors than she would have liked, of at least having an address for the Admiral's residence. She supposed she would head there first... and there were only so many ways that it made sense to get there from the summit's location.
So for now it was the waiting game. She sat astride her motorcycle and meandered her way through the streets, keeping an eye open for her quarry and slowly working toward her residence.
She'd have to emerge eventually...
Scelene hoped so anyway.
UBI Special Agent Haraldi Saffrona was also one other person hoping to reach Amastacia before anyone else.
After serving for like 4 years as a agent, this was her first run in the field of Ultrasina for a particularly hard to locate person. Admiral Amastacia, formerly a United Fleets officer, now a defectee to the Dectrose.
In this case, her objective was to find and fix Amastacia. Once she got Amastacia talking in one place, her colleagues could grab her.
She too was in her own vehicle, a hover car. As she avoided traffic jams caused by rare protests in support of the admiral. She got her way by virtue of her badge and once she got a proper fix on the residence of Amastacia, she headed fast.
Meanwhile, Amastacia emerged. The most infamous admiral of the day was spotted by a Unionist camera crew who were reporting on a protest. The crew tracked her live on televisions heading to one of the train stations of the city. She disappeared in one of those trains.
Now the task of finding her had to be narrowed as the UBI and UPD tried to get help from the train station. But this was all false. Amastacia had sold her coat and her uniform for a fortune tellers clothes and sneaked through alleys. But she could not avoid security cameras. Her face was taken by one and then through a long way, it reached the televisions.
She looked like she washeading for her headquarters. But the truth was not there. She simply had one more way to try to get to her home. Where her adopted sister was waiting.
Alleys had always been far more Scelene's speed than crowded walkways. She took a weaving meandering path through the alleyways, searching for her quarry and, as more calls came in about rapidly rising police activity, keeping an eye out for anyone else who might be on the trail of the rogue admiral.
She couldn't move as quickly in the narrow twisting roadways... but in the end it seemed her decision paid off when she caught sight of a woman who had a passing similarity to the Admiral.
She turned her bike toward her and came to a stop just behind her, raising the visor on her helmet for a better look.
It was her. Had to be.
"You know, defection generally works better if you don't announcer your intention to defect on live TV," She commented, raising her voice to be heard over the idling of the bike's engine.
The admiral froze. Almost immediately, she drew her sidearm on the other woman and said "Fuck...I don't know who you are but if you are here to get me to talk to the government, I won't. You....wait...it's you, the corporate officer." She put her sidearm away and said
"Why are you tailing me?"
"Today I'm a corporate head hunter actually," Scelene said with a shrug, seemingly unphased by the gun that had been in her face moments earlier.
"I've been instructed to talk... hmm, employment opportunities with you before this whole... defection thing gets out of hand."
She blinked. Then she told her with a sorrowful smile "We should talk somewhere better than an alley. And I think you already know about my promise to my lover. But go ahead. Shoot what you can." The admiral then got closer to the corporate head hunter and whispered "But seriously, we should move. Can I ride on your bike with you? Got a safehouse?"
"Oh no, wait. I need to get some things from my residence. Can you get me there please?"
"Police might be there already, but I suppose it doesn't hurt to roll by real quick," She swung her back pack off, struggling momentarily to withdraw a second helmet which she promptly held out to the Admiral.
"The corporation believes we may be able to offer you a... compromise of sorts. One where you can still see your lover but without all... this," She gestured vaguely at the surrounding area.
She didn't say anything for that matter as she got on the bike. She then waited for her to get moving as she finished putting the helmet on and secured it and held on to the driver, embracing her from behind.
Scelene gunned the engine, using her foot as a pivot point as she turned back toward the street. The full face helmet had the benefit of conveniently hiding one's face from all manner of prying eyes, both electronic and organic, and so Scelene didn't see much to be gained in skulking about in the alleys.
She moved back onto the main roads, making her way toward the Admiral's residence with the rest of the traffic. For now she was quiet, it was hard to talk on a motorcycle at the best of times, and so she opted to wait until they reached their destination before continuing the conversation.
Amastacia's official residence was a large house that had only one floor and a basement. It was located close to the suburbs of Ultrasina but Amastacia didn't seem to want Scelene to take her there. The Admiral was repeatedly trying to get Scelene to stop by tapping her shoulder and gesturing to her to stop somewhere. She was trying to say something, perhaps she had another address, another place in mind. And true to what she was trying to do, when they were getting close, they could see many police cars surrounding her house, police officers already in her front yard, attempting to get inside her house with a portable ram.
Scelene continued past without stopping or slowing down, waiting until they were well out of sight and sound before pausing and turning toward the Admiral.
"Where to?" Scelene said simply.
Admiral Amastacia told her
"Use Highway 35. It will take us to Velvet Square Apartments. I actually live there most of the time with my sister, a former Naval officer named Calesius."
Scelene nodded and once again resumed driving, following the directions of the Admiral toward the indicated address.
It took longer than reaching her house but it was worth it. Traffic was light and they were not followed. Afterwards, when they got to the apartments, Amastacia showed her companion where to go. They went up to the seventh floor and were greeted right away by her sister, a taller person than she was.
Scelene followed silently for the moment, waiting for some indication that the rogue Admiral was ready to hear her out as they made their way up to the seventh floor and into the apartment.
She spoke only to introduce herself to Amastacia's sister, but left out her ever changing title, introducing herself just as 'Scelene' for the moment.
The two sisters then sought some privacy. They spoke inside the apartment for a while in their language and then they went out to Scelene. The sister said
"Scelene, I appreciate what you have done to help my sister come here but I am concerned. Suppose the Dectrose find out you approached her?"
"What if they do?" Scelene said with a shrug. "I'm a recruiter for a for-profit corporation attempting to recruit a talented officer. Last I checked job offers weren't illegal in any capacity. Besides, she hasn't even heard my offer yet,"
"Still though, it seems to me, as a sister who reads and tried to learn about the world, that there may be issues between your corporation and the Dectrose. I assume it is public knowledge for the Dectrose to hear that your corporation did something to offend them? Perhaps threaten?"
"The Commonwealth's government has a certain degree of animosity toward the Dectrose but it hasn't manifested in any meaningful way as yet," Scelene said with a shrug, digging through her pockets for her cigarettes. "There's no embargoes or closed borders and most importantly no ban in place on corporations conducting business with or in the Empire. That's the crux of my job offer after all, I'm offering your sister the opportunity to have continuing access to the Empire and her lover without all the mess of defection,"
The sister then went silent as she turned to Amastacia who told Scelene "Tell me about your offer. I may consider it. If it means that I can pay you back a favor while also seeing my lover and serving his people..." She shrugged and sharply told her "Come on, say it."
Scelene opened her messenger bag, withdrawing a pile of papers and holding them out to the two sisters to read as she spoke.
"The first step would be getting this 'defection' thing taken care of," She said simply. "Our legal team seems to think that if you self surrender without actually committing any crimes then it should be extremely difficult for anyone to make a case against you. Your outburst at the summit could be easily argued away as an emotional outburst at the realization you would be unable to see your lover and since you haven't actually defected yet, and surrendered willingly, it would likely be difficult to make a case. Rather than risk a trial our legal team is confident the prosecutor would settle for immediate resignation and revocation of security clearances. At least that's their sense given an admittedly cursory look at UWA law,"
She paused and rubbed the back of her neck before continuing.
"Once that's taken care of the corporation will want to hire you. You'll be brought on and pending successful completion of relevant licensing and training courses will be given the title of Senior Operations Manager, with all the pay and benefits that come with the role. This includes danger pay if you're being deployed to any kind of a warzone. As part of your hiring you will be given a work visa for the Commonwealth and applications will be submitted for you to receive dual citizenship. Once you have that... then as I said there's no closed borders or anything with the Dectrose and you'll be free to visit them at your leisure."
She paused again debating whether or not she should reveal the corporate interests behind the offer and after a moment came to a decision.
"The hope of course is that the Dectrose will take out a contract with the corporation," She said finally. "In which case you would be assigned to the Empire as part of any contracted forces."
The two sisters were about to say something about it but they were interrupted when a hover car parked close to the apartments. Out came a female human dressed in shorts and a sleeveless shirt...wearing a combat vest that had the words UPD written on the front and back. She was looking around, not noticing them on the floor above her.
Immediately, Celesius told the both of them to hide in her apartment.
Scelene did as the other woman said, stepping inside. She put the cigarette between her lips but for the moment left it unlit.
"Well?" She said after the moment of silence had carried on for a few moments longer.
"Not to unduly pressure you Admiral but time is not exactly on our side here and we'll need to act quickly if you intend to accept our offer,"
Amastacia thought about it. Then she said "If you can really promise me my lover, then yes. Yes I agree to your offer."
Scelene nodded and smiled.
"Alright then," She said. "Do you have a communicator?"
"Yes I do. I---" Said Admiral Amastacia before being interrupted by a series of knocks on Celesius' door. The officer said "Excuse me, Miss Celesius? This is the UPD, I'd like to have a word with you if that is all right? Are you alone?"
Immediately, Celesius rushed to the door and said "Yeah, I'm alone! What's the problem?"
"We're looking for your sister, Miss. Her name is Amastacia. Have you seen her?"
Celesius then hurriedly gestured to Amastacia and Scelene to get out of the apartment. She pointed to an open balcony and emergency staircase nearby.
"Come with me and let me do the talking," Scelene said with another of her easy smiles. She turned and strolled toward the door, taking the unlit cigarette out of her mouth and tucking it behind her ear.
"She's here," Scelene said strolling toward the door and extending a hand toward the officer. "Scelene Korse, Black Rabbit Security Corporation. I've been with her for a couple hours. Might I inquire as to what this is about?"
The officer frowned and said while Celesius was shocked and Amastacia froze.
"My name is Haraldi Saffrona. Ultrasina Police Department. This is about Admiral Amastacia. I was instructed to speak to her and bring her to the station for questioning, arrest, trial and handover to the government for her actions in the summit." She refused to shake hands with Scelene.
Scelene retracted her hand after a moment, her smile falling quickly into a frown. She didn't say anything for a moment, drumming her fingers against the door frame and eyeing the officer.
"Do you have an arrest warrant?" She said finally.
The officer nodded. She produced a holographic device from her vest and activated it, showing to her the digital arrest warrant. It was signed not only by the UPD Commissioner but also the...UBI Director? Who was this officer?
Scelene glanced over the warrant and snorted, smiled, and then began giggling. The giggling only lasted for a few moments before she handed the device back to the officer.
"That's too much," She said as the giggling subsided. "Treason is a bit of a stretch don't you think? Heh, heh hooo~ man, alright, I'll accompany her. I'll need to see your ID and badge number if you don't mind?"
She nodded with no expression whatsoever on her face, showing her her badge and ID. It turns out that she lied about being for the UPD and was in fact a UBI Special Agent. She then smiled ironically at Scelene and said "I lied but point stands: We're getting her anyway, either way. And you may accompany her provided you surrender your own ID and other credentials proving that you are of that company?"
Scelene quirked an eyebrow at that writing down the ID and badge number.
"Ms. Amastacia won't be accompanying you," Scelene said handing the ID back. "You've lied to all three of us here about your identity so I'm afraid I can't say with any degree of certainty that the credentials you've just handed me are authentic,"
Scelene turned to Celesius.
"Call the police," She said calmly pulling out her own phone and dialing.
"I suggest you leave," She said to the officer while the call connected. She stayed at the door, facing the officer and began speaking in a different language once the call connected, explaining the situation to her supervisor who immediately began making calls of his own.
The agent just started to laugh on her own too as she jerked a thumb over her shoulder and said to Scelene
"Whatever, corp gal. I got back up. They're on their way too."
She then pulled out her own phone and faced the corporate woman as she too spoke to her superiors in the agency and in another UWA language.
"Well then I suppose you ought to get them," Scelene said with a smile.
Meanwhile, elsewhere, and several million miles away D'Arcy O'Flannigan, the acting ambassador to the UWA, was roused abruptly from sleep by a series of alerts coming across her communicator. Groaning she grabbed hold of her communicator and glanced through the contents of the messages popping up before muttering a series of curses.
She was on her way to a summit with the UWA and a couple of Pact nations and now was the very definition of the wrong time. Nonetheless she dug through her contacts and dialed up Secretary Blue. She didn't waste time with pleasantries, she was much to tired for that, as soon as she had her on the line D'Arcy asked quite simply:
"Secretary Blue, why do I have Black Rabbit asking about filing harassment lawsuits against the UPD and the UBI?"
Secretary Blue herself was enjoying her time on her own with a cup of coffee and a small plate of potatoes and minced pork. She answered D'Arcy after she asked
"This is probably because a Black Rabbit presence was at the area when the UPD and UBI were attempting to arrest the suspect. Perhaps this is because of a troublesome officer or agent?"
D'Arcy glanced over the message she had received from Black Rabbit's CEO, rubbing her eyes as she did.
"The letter I've received," She began slowly. "Claims that a UBI agent by the name of Haraldi Saffrona falsely identified themselves as an officer with the UPD... there's more in here about stalking a 'Talent Acquisition Manager' and a conditional employee... Amastacia? She's been 'baselessly accused of treason' according to the letter,"
She trailed off and sighed, sitting down heavily on her bed and holding her forehead in her hand. She didn't need this. Especially not now. Relations with the UWA were still new and she didn't want to start them off with a lawsuit between a major corporation and the UWA's law enforcement agencies. She wanted this quiet, and she wanted it gone.
"Secretary," She began with a heavy sigh. "The Commonwealth would very much like to avoid an incident here,"
"I too would like to avoid an incident. I was about to enjoy my breakfast and a good day of work. Anyway, if that is so, what can I do for you, dear D'Arcy? Perhaps it will be better if I invited you to speak with me here. Or shall I come there to where you are?"
Spoke the Secretary. She did not seem to let her voice go left or right. It simply as as it was. It was thanks to her being a Syran and also being just a Secretary. She kept her cool and added
"Well, dear Ambassador?"
"I'm not on world at the moment," D'Arcy answered. "I'm on my way to a meeting with representatives from several Pact nations as well as your own government..."
She ran a hand through her hair and sighed.
"Okay how about this? I'll have one of my junior relations officers head down there with some legal representation for Ms. Korse and Ms. Amastacia. If we can keep the proceedings transparent I think that should appease Black Rabbit for the moment and we can deal with this in greater detail once I return?"
"Ah." She remembered. "I am so sorry I forgot. And sure. I will be happy to see to that. I will do what I can as a favor to you."
The Secretary then paused and said
"And yes, of course. I hope you enjoy your time there at that meeting. Give my regards to our representatives."
She paused again and asked
"Will that be all, Dear Ambassador?"
"That will be all," D'Arcy said. "Have a pleasant day Secretary,"
She let the line go dead, sent a quick message back to Black Rabbit and collapsed back onto her bed with a groan.
"Fucking Scelene Korse," She muttered, closing her eyes.
~~~
Scelene nodded and hung up her phone, glancing toward the agent as she returned it to her pocket. She turned to Amastacia and walked over to her.
"Diplomats and lawyers are on their way," She said with a reassuring smile.
The agent also was done with her call. A few minutes later, sirens could be heard approaching.
As for Amastacia she agreed but said "Thank you, Scelene. But...I am afraid I have to tell you that even if so, they will still try to get me. Even if that agent is crooked, he is right about my crime."
"Maybe," Scelene said with a shrug before smirking. "But say what you will about Black Rabbit the simple fact of the matter is that we can afford very expensive lawyers."
Despite whatever anyone has to say, Amastacia was taken anyway by the UBI and UPD to the station. There, the lawyers of both sides for and against her would have to take their part in this drama. And for them to try to get Amastacia to either accept or decline a plea deal.
At this time, Amastacia was waiting for the turn of the Black Rabbits to talk to her after she spoke with the UWA legal teams.
The lawyer Black Rabbit had hired was already at the station when Amastacia showed up, along with a man who introduced himself as junior foreign relations officer with the Vestahl Commonwealth.
"I'm just here to observe," He said to her.
He and Scelene left her alone with her lawyer then who smiled and sat down.
"Well there's good news and bad news," He said, flipping open a binder and going through his notes. "The good news is that their entire case hinges on your outburst at the summit... the bad news is that... well... you had an outburst at the summit that was on live TV,"
He paused and looked up to her.
"We can go to trial, bring in character witnesses, make your statement seem like something Secretary Blue goaded you into saying and I'd say we stand a decent chance of getting an acquittal... or we can try to settle. I can try to convince the prosecutor to accept a guilty plea on a lesser charge. You'll be dishonorably discharged, lose your pension, security clearance, and some of your memories but no jail time. It's up to you in the end though,"
"I agree with that. I truly don't want any of us to go through a long trial. I'd like us to get this done with as soon as possible. And also to be with my lover, Mergheriti. I really miss him very much and I just...I just want to be with him as soon as this is dealt with." She said. She paused to let her own words sink. Then she said with a much more gentle voice "Is that all you'll tell me? What other things are there for me to do?"
"Black Rabbit is paying my fees," The lawyer answered. "They'd like me to get your signature on a conditional employment contract. Not that they don't trust you to keep your word but..." He shrugged. "You know how it is with corporations."
She nodded to that and asked for a pen. She also said "Forgive me for not having a pen of my own. I could not bring any. I....I also have a request. Can you please let Scelene in so she could listen to me?"
He handed her a pen and left momentarily, returning with Scelene.
"What's up?" She said as she entered the room.
"My request is in case I am....if the government I once loved and served decided to do things to me that I don't know they'll do...I must request that you allow my sister to serve you under the same contract. She is as good as me and needs a job too." She said, refusing to sign the contract unless she got her request through or heard. She added "Please. At least this can be good for you if ever I am affected negatively."
Scelene was silent for several long moments, tugging idly at her lip while she eyed Amastacia. There was something... concerning about the request. She wanted to press, ask why she seemed to think something would happen to her... but in the end she decided it was probably just nerves. It wasn't every day you got accused of treason after all.
"You'll be fine," Scelene said with a smile. "But if it will make you feel better,"
She nodded and the lawyer turned through the contract to the last page. He quickly wrote in the clause and Scelene initialed next to the addition before sliding the contract to Amastacia.
Amastacia released a deep sigh of relief and happiness. She gave them a smile and bowed her head respectfully to them both a while then rose and signed the contract. She then returned the lawyers pen and then turned to Scelene to tell her
"Thank you so much. I will owe you this for as long as I am working with the corporation."
"Don't worry about it," Scelene said taking the contract and dropping it into her messenger bag. "Happy to help, happier to have you with us,"
"I'll go get the prosecutor," The lawyer said standing and leaving with Scelene again.
The Admiral then became quiet and started to enjoy her time alone in the room for now. She could rest and attempt to restore her confidence for what was to come.
When the lawyer returned he came back with the prosecutor. Scelene left Amastacia alone and then came the waiting, and the bickering. Her lawyer spoke first, demanding charges be dropped, the prosecutor countered by demanding a full confession in exchange for the death penalty being taken off the table...
And back and forth it went. The prosecutor asserted he had her on video saying she would defect. Her defender insisted the video was worthless.
"She admitted to defecting!" The prosecutor snapped.
"She was goaded into it by the Secretary Blue. You know what we call that? Entrapment!"
And on it went. Back and forth and forth and back. She was a treasonous dog, she was a decorated war hero, she'd left the summit and avoided arrest, she'd left the summit and gone to her sister's apartment.
"Not exactly laying low is it?" Her lawyer insisted.
"She tried to lose the police tailing her!" The prosecutor countered.
"You mean the police stalking her," Her lawyer shot back. "She had her communicator with her the whole time. They never called her and asked her to come in for an interview, they just jumped straight to tailing her! I would have tried to lose them to!"
She was a criminal, she was being set up, she broke the law and had to be punished, no, no, the government was out to silence a political opponent.
Finally, several hours, many angry words and too much instant coffee later the two lawyers arrived at a compromise.
"She pleads guilty," The prosecutor said. "To conduct unbecoming of an officer, dereliction of duty and insubordination. She'll be dishonorably discharged, her security clearance revoked and her memory wiped. Final offer,"
She glanced to her attorney, who met her eyes, and gave a nod.
"You're lucky she loves this country too much to drag its name through the mud at trial," He said. "I would rake you over the coals and have you crying for your mommy,"
There were several parting salvoes, some arguments over wording, and then finally a series of signatures went onto the page and it was over. It would take a few weeks to get all the paperwork squared away and her court date, where the plea could be entered, wasn't for a few weeks yet... but that seemed to be that.
------------------------------------------
The government gave her the needed time. She was allowed to spend her last days before her sentencing and her procedure. She spent that time with her lover, her sister, her XO and the rest of those who were friendly or loyal to her. When the time came, the court, in live TV, stripped her of her rank, erased her security clearances and then sent her to the UBI for them to take her to a mind wiping facility. That part was no longer public.
Under the cover of night and in a convoy of UPD, UBI and UWA MP vehicles, they brought her to Skesrazica Government Medical Center (It was a medical center that was never put on UWA maps or registered in the UWA systems. It was only considered in the records of the Secretary.)
There they took her into one of the procedure rooms. There, she was instructed to discard all her clothes and replace them with the clothes of a patient: A white pair of shorts, a yellow short sleeved shirt, a pair of cheap slippers and a plastic bracelet on her left hand with her name on it.
She had to register her name on some documents, signing them and finally surrendering her personal ID. After that, she was told to sit down on the procedure chair and was attached to the mind machine. Amastacia watched as the machine was turned on but not yet activated against her. She turned to see who was going to watch.
It was mostly government officials and high ranking officers of the UBI and the UWA MP and other secret agencies of the UWA. Men and women watched her from several meters away as a team got started on the procedure. She was allowed to say her final words and to be recorded on video and audio by a deputy of the Secretary, who could not come.
"Bring me to my sister and my lover. If I die, do so. If I don't, do so. Just make sure I don't go away erased from all things."
Afterwards, a gag was put in her mouth. A blindfold around her eyes. A pair of plugs in her ears. And someone injected a cocktail of drugs to make her relax, to kill pain and to make her senses shut down temporarily.
Then the procedure began. It was quite painful. It was not supposed to be. Even as she trashed against her restraints, legs kicking out and chest heaving, the mind machine went through a few fatal errors. This would be the cause of Amastacias side effects. While of course, all memories of UWA military secrets were taken away from her and all other memories about UWA civilian secrets were erased, she also lost her memories of her sister and other family and friends. She felt herself lose her memory of her XO. And came the worse...
Nightmarish memories flooded her mind, making her trash more and more despite the drugs. She was terrified, wasting herself as the observers either continued to watch or turned their eyes away. It took a few more minutes, the machine also erasing her memories about her childhood. Only her memories as a teenager up to her current age were kept.
Someone asked to stop the machine. Someone else refused. The procedure went on until she was rendered unconscious. This affected her severely, giving her amnesia and extreme memory loss. It went on again and again until finally the procedure was finished. She was released from the machine and taken to an operating room.
There, her body was cleaned up and the doctors started to do what they had to do: Install some nano machines that could help the UWA watch her once she is given up to whoever is willing to get her back. They also injected her with additional drugs that will continue to affect her for months. Effects? Unknown.
Now Amastacia, as she was before, was no more. She is just a woman, a female stranger.