The words "Incoming Transmission _" played message across his HUD, with no option to accept or deny. The internal video feed was also enabled. The message vanished, but the boundaries remained, acting as the frame for the conferencing mode as the connection was established. His helmet's camera was engaged, indicated by the small blinking red light in the corner of the video feed.

A somewhat beefy, fair-skinned, middle-aged man with close-cropped salt and pepper hair and a matching goatee appeared across his HUD. The man's strict, utilitarian clothes with the Heallen-Drayk Corporate logo of two golden wrenches crossed over one another like an 'X' inside a hollowed-out planet over his left breast, and the four polished platinum pips along one side of his raised collar identified him as ex-military. And as one of the five Section Heads.

Aedan's expression changed. He wasn't expecting to garner the attention of a Section Head. Sure, an Overseer at the worst or a Supervisor were to be expected, but this? He was, however, relieved to find that despite having never directly spoken to this person before, he'd seen pictures of the man on the local Network, conversed with enough people, and heard his fair share of rumors to know who this was.

Section Head Brence Monson's deep-set, cold orange eyes were already narrowed, and his strong jaw clenched as he silently took in Aedan's appearance.

Aedan stopped working and did his best to calmly return the Section Head's gaze, ensuring he was coming across as neutral as possible while not being aloof, arrogant, or condescending to authority. Because the man currently looking at him might as well have been God with how much power he had over Aedan. Thankfully, the word was that Brence was one of the few Section Heads with a reputation for being tough, but fair. He was someone who didn't exclusively go out of their way to be cruel to Indents. A rare quality these days.

Brence clasped his hands together and laid them on his desk.

"So," Brence's steady baritone reverberated through Aedan's helmet, mingling with the ever-present crackling speaker quality. "Technician Sones. Would you care to tell me why I'm contacting you this evening?" He spoke with the assurance of someone who already knew the answer and expected nothing less than complete cooperation. Or like someone who wanted the offender to try and weasel their way out with lies, only to be swiftly and brutally crushed beneath the weight of judgment.

"My unauthorized and unscheduled Omnitool activation, sir." Aedan said.

Brence grunted noncommittally, and his hardened expression somewhat loosened. His eyes, however, retained their edge.

Aedan quietly released a breath he hadn't known he was holding through his nose, relieved that the stories he'd heard about this Section Head were true and that it seemed taking the most direct, honest route with a healthy helping of respect would go a long way.

Brence's eyes flicked to something off-screen and moved back and forth like he was reading something.

"Mm. That's right. I can see it here. So your current position places you between sections Four and Five?” His eyes landed back on Aedan.

"Yes, sir." Aedan said.

Brence silently nodded to himself and leaned forward, resting both forearms on the desk before reaching off-screen. A gentle blue light suddenly illuminated his face, its intensity fluctuating a few times as he was probably changing between terminal screens or pulling up new information. However, Aedan could also make out the barest reflection of a screen in Brence's eyes. The Section Head's following words affirmed his guess.

"I've got your file in front of me, Technician. It looks like you have quite the history with our lovely station. Over four years, is it?" Aedan knew it was more than likely asking a rhetorical question, but he didn’t want to be disrespectful if it was a question. Although he'd heard decent rumors about the man, this was still the first time he'd spoken directly with a Section Head. For everyone involved, it was better if he erred on the side of caution.

"Yes, sir." Aedan said.

Brence made an 'Mhm' sound, then said, "Good, good," as he squinted at Aedan's records off-screen, continuing to browse through this Indent's rather curiously extensive file. This continued for some time, with Aedan silently remaining still on one knee beside the junction box and listening to maddeningly vague comments about his record like "Interesting," "Oh?" and "I see."

Aedan would frequently glance at his oxygen supply and energy cell capacity to take his mind off the mounting pressure he felt. His plans couldn't have come apart so easily, could it? After all this time? Where had he made a mistake? He'd been careful. He'd been meticulous. Aedan allowed himself a slow blink, and that space of a bare second, he centered himself in the darkness behind his eyes. If he had truly been found out, there was nothing left to do. But, until the man came right out and said something, he wouldn't allow fear to dictate his response. He couldn't. There was too much at stake to risk revealing himself.

Aedan's eyes opened, and he was, once again, nothing more than a young man down on his luck and forced to work off his substantial debt to an interstellar mining corporation.

He focused in the corner of his HUD. Readings indicated that his oxygen was dipping into the yellow, and his power supply sat at around seventy-five percent as the Omnitool prodigiously applied a power drain. Finally, when Aedan was quietly contemplating whether it would be more dangerous to suffocate or interrupt the Section Head, Brence nodded to himself and leaned back in his official-looking chair, clasping his hands together and laying them on the edge of his desk as he looked at Aedan.

"I've just finished reviewing your file. Impressive," Brence spoke with a masterful poker face, neither his tone of voice nor expression giving away his thoughts.

"Thank you, sir." Aedan said, showing neither pleasure nor disappointment with the "compliment."

Brence carefully regarded Aedan, then nonchalantly said, "It's rather interesting, Mr. Sones. But did you know that your file has over a dozen infractions, with half as many official requests for employee contract termination? Initiated by another Section Head, no less?"

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Aedan would have rolled his eyes, but managed to keep a straight expression, as he knew perfectly well how disliked he was in some parts of the station with corporate staff and indents alike. It was an integral part of his act. So, he decided to play up the role of a frightened Indent who suddenly felt exposed. Aedan's expression must have worked because Brence cracked the barest smirk and leaned further back in his chair.

"I take it you weren't aware?" He cocked an eyebrow.

Aedan shook his head with a stony expression on the verge of 'cracking.'

"No, sir. I was not," he carefully replied, trying to restrain the quaver in his words.

Brence's smirk grew slightly as he leaned forward again, saying, "Well, that's quite all right, Mr. Sones, because you see, despite so many apparent red flags on your file-" he gestured to something off-screen, "-going through a summary history of your work for us. And aside from some early learning bumps-" he dismissively waved a hand, "-you've done stellar work."

Aedan expressed relief. It worked, hopefully.

"Which brings me to my next question..." Brence didn't comment on Aedan's reaction. Instead, he looked off the screen and made some hand gestures. He was probably interacting with a remote holographic interface, reminding Aedan that he might've managed to avoid a complete disaster, but he wasn't out of the woods yet.

"Tell me: How is it that such a qualified and experienced technician has such an incendiary track record?" Brence's piercing gaze landed back on Aedan. "And just what-" he leaned back in his chair, interlocking his fingers over his stomach, "-is your relationship with Ms. Rookson?"

Aedan sneered to himself at the mention of Section Head Rookson's name. Still, he wasn't going to share his thoughts on the woman- if she somehow got wind of this recording, his already miserable days conducting maintenance in her section would become an utter nightmare. He didn't need that kind of pressure right now. He took a moment to come up with a response, making it look like he was nervous.

"Well, sir, I've never formally spoken with Section Head Rookson before. So I can't answer that question," Aedan inclined his head, breaking eye contact and looking at the bottom of the video feed. He knew that wasn't what Brence wanted to hear. Aedan could tell the man knew there was some underlying discrepancy between the respectful, mature young man he spoke with on the video reflecting none of the qualities listed on the reports. He needed to do better. He needed to be better, or all of this was going to come crashing down around his head.

"I'm sorry, sir," Aedan added at the end after a slight pause, having chosen his words carefully, and kept them objectively truthful. If Brence continued combing his records, he would find that Aedan hadn't ever personally spoken with Rookson. But that didn't mean Aedan didn't know why she loathed him. He most certainly did. But sharing something like that over an official record like this? He couldn't. He knew he was rolling the dice on this one. But he hoped his attitude and "clean" track record were enough to assuage any anger from Brence and keep him from being spaced for insubordination or some minuscule breach in contract. He was confident it would work- he couldn't find a flaw in what he'd said. But he never could tell with these corporate-military types and was somewhat pensive about his next course of action if things went sideways. It didn't look good. He would only have about three to five seconds before his suit would remotely depressurize at the press of a button, and he wasn't anywhere near an airlock close enough for that kind of maneuvering. He didn't show indecision on his face, though, and gave Brence precisely what he wanted- someone stewing in their nerves and fears.

"All right, Mr. Sones. I believe you. You can relax," Brence broke the silence with the same tone. Not a trace of anger or frustration was audible.

'Took you long enough,' Aedan inwardly rolled his eyes but outwardly expressed relief. And maybe not all of the relief was faked.

Brence must have seen a trace of gratitude in Aedan's eyes because he gave a low chuckle and made a cutting gesture with one hand, causing the dim terminal light reflecting on his figure to disappear.

'Oh? Just like that, huh?' Aedan couldn't help but wonder. But something told him that they hadn't yet spoken of the actual reason for the call.

'What're you waiting for…' Aedan was destined to be surprised, though, as Brence interrupted his thoughts.

"I see no reason to continue this line of inquiry. Naturally, you wouldn’t be aware of a stranger's motivation. Isn't that right?" Brence asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir." Aedan said.

Brence silently regarded Aedan. Then, seemingly having found something he wanted to see, he nodded to himself and leaned forward again, clasping his hands together and resting his forearms on the desk. His large shoulders filled the video feed frame.

"Good. Now, Mr. Sones, let's cut to the chase, shall we?"

"Sir?" Aedan asked. 'Here it comes,' he thought.

"Would you explain why you've deemed it necessary to violate multiple maintenance protocols in my Section?"

'Huh?'

"Of course, sir," Aedan responded, "I apologize for my actions, but I deemed them necessary to address certain key issues better."

"Is that right?" Brence drawled, expecting the answer, which didn't answer the question. Instead, he motioned with a hand, "You have the floor, Technician Sones. Explain."

Aedan seemingly tried to recall something before carefully explaining the issues he'd encountered along his Route. Concluding with his discovery that the repair order debrief did not include handling a defunct SC master junction box. He even included the defunct sensor buoy and how he would use the proper channels to requisition another for his kit. Brence silently listened, not offering any additions or recriminations nor expressing disapproval or approval of Aedan's actions. Once Aedan had finished recounting his experiences and fell silent, Brence waved a hand over his desk. A complex, spherical, azure-colored hologram suddenly projected a few inches above a small, nondescript pedestal that Aedan hadn't noticed before.

"Did you get all of that?" Brence casually asked, though in a friendly tone that suggested he already knew the answer.

'The hell-' Aedan's mind went blank as his thoughts were interrupted by a familiar-sounding voice coming through the video feed.

"The Technician's identity has been validated through voice, facial, and retinal scans. One Aedan Matthue Sones, a long-standing contracted employee of Haellen-Drayk Intragalactic Industries: Centaurus Division," the A.I.'s hologram brightness fluctuated in tandem with her monotone voice. "Technician ID: CD-HDI-one zero five six. His response has been recorded and entered into the official record," a pause, and then, "Is there anything else I can assist you with today, SH-Brence?"

"No. That'll be all," Brence replied, his eyes having never left Aedan since the station's A.I. began speaking.

The small hologram flared, then dissolved into the pedestal in a shimmering cascade of collapsing matrices, leaving Aedan actually speechless for once.

"And there you have it," said Brence, spreading his hands out. "Congratulations, Mr. Sones. Your statement has officially been documented and attached to the encounter violation, with myself and MARA serving as witnesses. So again, thank you for your continued cooperation and services," and with a wave of his hand, the small blinking red light in the corner of the video feed winked out. Brence clasped his hands on the desk again.

"Mm. Now that we've gotten that unfortunate business out of the way, there's something else I would like to discuss with you."

"...Sir?" Aedan's eyes re-focused. He had still been processing that the station's A.I. had been present the entire time- he felt played. He fucking hated that feeling.

Brence held up a hand, "It's nothing you need to be worried about. However, it's also not something we can discuss at the moment," something was worrying in his tone. Brence lowered his hand and looked off-screen, making some motions without waiting for a response. A notification pinged Aedan's inbox in the upper right-hand corner of his HUD.

"I've just sent you an invitation. Refrain from opening it until you've completed the repairs and ended your shift. I recommend reading it in your quarters, but that's up to you." He looked back at Aedan, then snapped his fingers.

"Ah, and of course, let's not forget..." he mumbled to himself, interacting with something off-screen again. Another notification ping sounded out, highlighting the Omnitool function in the top left of Aedan's HUD.

"There we are," Brence said, leaning back in his chair, "Full Omnitool maintenance-suite clearance codes. It sounds like you'll be needing it."

"T-Thank you, sir," Aedan said, unsure what else he could say or how many different ways he could express nervousness with his persona.

Brence grunted, "Good luck with the repairs. End transmission."

The conferencing mode closed, suddenly leaving Aedan's HUD conspicuously empty, with only two small blinking notifications in the corners of his vision.