[NT PERSONNEL RECORD] - "Scrapper 14"

[Skorpios]

[RUNNING NanoTrasen SpyTrak v.3.1]

[ACCESSING SECURE FOREIGN DATABASE]

[CONNECTING…]

{Royal Republic of Ferros}

{Department of Correction}

{Capital Regional Penitentiary}

[Prisoner Photo:] 

[Prisoner Number:] 0014
[Prior Name:] {Redacted Under Royal Authority}
[Sex:] Male
[Date Committed:] {Redacted}
[Age:] 16
[Occupation:] Scavenger
[Crime(s):] Grand Larceny, Destruction of Property, 2nd Degree Murder, Assault, Possession of Unregistered Firearms, Possession of Explosives, Black Market Dealing, Anti-Royal Activity, Resisting Arrest, {Redacted}, Being a Public Nuisance
[Imprisonment Term:] 244 Years
[Warden’s Notes:] This is our “grand terrorist threat?” I’ve been seeing government broadcasts about this guy for weeks now. The Royals are calling him an anarchist, a threat to world peace, a scum-sucking nobody, and an elaborate criminal mastermind. Look, I’m putting this in the record: I’ve seen butterflies more threatening than that freak I shoved into a quadruple-locked cell. If it wasn't for all the bruises and cracked exoskeleton after the Royal agents got through with him, I would think they’re pulling some sort of cruel, elaborate prank.
Seems like a pretty standard suspect. Born on Ferros, plenty of siblings, thrown out of the nest once he proved to be a lucky survivor. Of course, he was thrown into Zenkathi Province. Would have been better off growing up in a saw blade factory. Zenkathi is a run-down hellscape, but we need it. I hear it used to be nice, then the Royals built a mag-tractor to pull all the debris in the asteroid belt down planetside. With all the trade ships crashing into those space rocks, its a goldmine up there. Now all that fortune is splattered across the ground in Zenkathi Province, but only if you can endure the constant bombardment of derelict ships and broken satellites. Not that the people living there get to see any of that wealth. As far as we’re all concerned, those bottom feeders can stay rotting in their metal graveyard. Nasty scavengers.
I suppose that explains why the Royals hate this guy so much. Crazy bastard actually thought he could get out. According to the reports, he broke out of the Zenkathi containment zone (no idea how) and headed toward the capital zone. Picked up some equipment from those damn “freedom fighting” rebels, bought some from NT black market sources, made some of his own… whatever he was doing in that scrapheap, it made him pretty crafty.
Now, I want this in official record that I thought it couldn't be done. Nobody had ever busted into the First Royal Bank until Prisoner 0014 attacked it with makeshift guns and a thermite bomb made from rusty nails. Three guards hospitalized, one killed, and a hole the size of a large pod in the vault door. The prisoner stole enough cash to live in permanent luxury and dumped it somewhere. Now its my damn job to keep him in the cell until the agents get that location out of him.

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[ATTEMPTING RESTRUCTURING]

[CIPHER DETECTED]

[RUNNING NanoTrasen CodeTech v.12.3]

[COMPILING…]

Something’s bothering me about this case. I’m keeping this coded in case the Royal agents start reading prisoner files for once. All three of those injured guards were dead within the week. The detective on the scene said they were likely intentionally spared when Prisoner 0014 attacked. Little guy hit them with flesh wounds and non-lethal poisons. So why were they all declared beyond help once the hospital doors shut? I haven’t even been able to get hold of that damn detective for 6 days!
There was more than just cash in that vault. If anyone tied to the Royals reads this, I’m a dead roach, but its the truth. The detective said there were documents in there. Top secret stuff that the Royals fought tooth and nail to keep hidden. War plans, assassination records, money laundering evidence, even deep ties with the fucking Synd-

[READ ERROR]

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[SOURCE: THIRD PARTY UNKNOWN]

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[NT PERSONNEL DATABASE]

[ENTER PASSPHRASE TO LOGIN]

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[LOGIN RECORDED]

[Image:] 

[Quote:] “Is good time be roach!” - Scrapper 14 during every single radstorm.
[Theme:][Outer Wilds - Echoes of the Eye: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_WrhBeFikw]


[EMPLOYEE DATA]
[Name:] Scrapper 14
[Former Alias:] [UNKNOWN]
[Occupation:] Mechanic
[Branch:] Engineering
[Place of Residence:] Central Command Waste Disposals Facility
[Economic Status:] Destitute
[NanoTrasen Loyalty Index:] 40%
[Mental Status:] Under Medical Debate
[Skills:] Mechanical knowledge, Chemical knowledge, Spaceship construction experience, “Can touch antenna all way to chin”
[Previous Work Experience:] Scrap collection technician, “Bank locksmith”
[Education:] No formal education on record


[PERSONAL INFORMATION]
[Sex:] Male
[Age:] 25
[Birthdate:] [EXACT DATE UNKNOWN]
[Birthplace:] Zenkathi Province, Royal Republic of Ferros
[Species:] Ferrosian Roach
[Status:] Active
[Height:] 5’ 2’’
[Weight:] 82 lbs
[Bloodtype:] B+
[Hair Color:] N/A
[Molting Phases:] 33
[Unique Traits:] Appears to be persistently covered in a fine powder of iron oxide (rust). It is unknown if the employee chooses to replace this rust manually, or if it is a self-replicating side effect of [DATA EXPUNGED]


[SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION]
[Habits:]
- Subject speaks in a broken accent, omitting many words and overusing the word “is”. NanoTrasen linguists have determined that this trait is not shared by most Ferrosian residents.
- Subject has a tendency to consume rust and other inedible substances. Most likely a survival technique created in an early age. Ferrosian Roach metabolism is remarkably efficient, so most consumed substances are processed harmlessly.
- Absentmindedly moves their antenna in seemingly aimless patterns. Behavior is suspected to stem from a form of ADD.
- Subject possesses a tendency for optimism of a degree bordering on blissful ignorance, but will swiftly drop the habit in times of intense stress.
- Subject holds a connection to NanoTrasen brand welding masks, yet prefers to use them as a form of headwear. NanoTrasen marketing teams are looking into the possibility of a welding helmet consumer base.
[Hobbies:]
- Room renovation
- Electrical construction
- Beekeeping
- Stations and Syndicates
- Haiku writing
- Reading children's books
[Fears:] Imprisonment, Skeletons, Martians
[Likes:] Rust, Bees, Comic books, The singularity, Orange juice
[Dislikes:] Soup, The TEG, Dark spaces, Nuclear weapons
[Favorite Drink:] Orange Juice
[Favorite Food:] French Fries
[Favorite Animal:] Space Roach
[Favorite Plant:] Burning Commol
[Favorite Chemical:] Cryostylane
[Favorite Gun:] Riot Shotgun
[Favorite Color:] Orange
[Favorite Restaurant:] Waste Disposal
[Favorite Comic:] The Adventures of Roach Man and the Blue Lightning
[Favorite Book:] The Trial of Heisenbee
[Favorite Place on Station:] Bar
[Zodiac:] Sagittarius


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[SECURITY RECORDS]


[Threat Analysis:] Low-Medium
[Known Charges:] 
- Murder
- Assault
- Robbery
- Creation of unlawful weaponry
[Addendum:] Scrapper 14’s history as a bank robber and prison inmate should be considered when in the presence of valuable NT revenue. Ferrosian Roach traits makes the target fairly weak against physical force, but Scrapper’s disdain for imprisonment and subsequent resistance should be considered when attempting arrest.


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[MEDICAL ACCESS REQUIRED]

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[MEDICAL RECORDS]


[Physical Notes:] Patient’s blattodean physiology should be considered in the event of surgery. Former physical trauma has been largely recovered from through successive moltings, but certain areas of the exoskeleton still exhibit structural weakness.
Rust appears regularly on the patient’s outer shell. The cause of this phenomenon is still under investigation but is thought to tie into the [REDACTED]


[Mental Notes:] Patient suffers from a form of ADD as well as a compulsive desire to consume rust. Ferrosian Roach digestive tracts allow safe passage of the substance, but it provides no nutrition. Dietary supplements may be required to counteract the effects.
Events prior to employment by NanoTrasen have produced several phobias. Optimism is a favored coping method by the patient, but crumbles in situations of great mental stress. Therapeutic help is recommended in the future.


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[RUNNING EXTERNAL SOFTWARE NanoCrack v12]

[_ERROR_]

[LOGIN RECORDING FAILED]

[ACCESS GRANTED]

[ACCESSING AUDIO LOG 10.5.2052.S14]
[A drawn out sigh is heard with the shuffling of papers. A loud *clink* hangs in the air before a smashing sound follows soon after.] “Ah, goddamnit! My favorite mug…” [Another sigh pushes its way through the microphone] “Great. Guess I’ll do this log with coffee on my shoes. Figures. Who am I even supposed to be talking… Oh. That one.” [The speaker clears their throat and taps a sheaf of papers on the desk] “Alright, time we get this down on record. This is NanoTrasen Diplomatic Agent [~Static obscures the recording~] recording a verbal dossier on the Ferros situation and our resident criminal-on-the-run.
Where do we start? Well, Ferros is what the security analysts call “a location of utmost concern.” That's basically an official way of stating that its a pirate-filled trade revenue siphon. Ferros has the fortune, or misfortune, of sitting in the middle of one of the most traveled trade sectors in the quadrant. Its also right next to the Koas Asteroid Belt, a miserable cluster of rocks that takes out almost half as many ships each year as those Syndicate drones do. The Ferrosians get rich as all hell off of this, of course. Whatever treasures crash in that belt are scooped up by those vulture roaches before the distress call even reaches us. And if the rocks don’t get you, the pirates will. Most are just civilians in pods with secondhand weapons, but a few of them prowl around in heavily armed ships with military-grade tech. The Ferrosian government denies hiring these privateers to loot trade ships, but its a pretty open secret to anyone with a working pair of eyes.
Speaking of the government, they’re the whole reason for this log. “The Royals” they call themselves. Its a funny way of spelling “authoritarian oligarchy.” Unlike us, they don't even have the decency to get some stockholders. They do have the bad idea to align themselves with the Syndicate though. Oh, they love their plausible deniability, but its pretty obvious how refurbished Ferrosian weapons and supplies are getting to those red-suited space snakes. That's why we keep Scrapper around.
Busting him out of that prison was a lot easier than we thought. He already had half a tunnel made using Discount Dan’s plastic spoons, our operatives just had to carve out the rest with a pickaxe and a few well placed explosives. Honestly, they could have picked anyone out of the ruins of that prison, but Prisoner 0014 was the sorest spot we could poke. The Royals genuinely hate him, which is why its so damn funny, and useful, to keep him on our payroll.
Their agents tried some good stuff to get 0014 to talk. Ameature, but reliable. Torture, killing family members, isolated imprisonment… They even threw him in a prison scrap collecting squad, stole his name, and then killed half of his new work buddies when they got too close. The Diplomatic Corps isn't even sure if Scrapper 14 kept the title out of some weird Stockholm Syndrome attachment or if he really can’t remember his old name. Some suits in Intelligence probably know, but that's not on my clearance level.”
[The sound of sipping liquid takes over the recording for a few seconds] “Ahem… Sorry, got a bit off track there. Um… Ferros! Right! Ok well, as far as employment is concerned, Scrapper 14 is a capable enough moneymaker. Cloning him after he gets blown up, shot, turned into a bloodsucker, or mind controlled into working for the Syndicate gets expensive, but as long as he’s with NT, we hold a valuable card against the Royals. They keep sending assassins and bounty hunters after him, so that should give an idea on how many times we’ve had to clone this insect. We even let him sleep in the waste disposals at CentCom, for… some reason.
Of course, if relations change with Ferros, we can always dump that cloning info and ship Scrapper 14 over in a coffin. Some people may call that heartless, but that's why NanoTrasen is top dog and all the other shitty little companies are on our list of buyout targets.” [The shuffling of papers breaks the speech as the microphone peaks from the noise] “Hmm… that everything? I think that about wraps it up. I’ll start moving my poor mug into the trash chute. Hope Scrapper enjoys sharp pieces of porcelain covered in floor coffee. I… actually, he probably does.”
[END OF RECORDING]


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[Thanks for reading!]
[Extra supplemental themes because I'm indecisive]
[Outer Wilds - Echoes of the Eye: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_WrhBeFikw]
[Johnny Cash - Rusty Cage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CrBqRb3VGM]

[Sonic CD - Metallic Madness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziTN-VI_tEk]