#fhq.af

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Welcome, 𝐶𝐴𝑀𝐼𝐿𝐿𝐸. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙰𝚍𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚘𝚛 is pleased to recognize you for the role of [𝐴𝑈 𝐹𝐴𝐼𝑇].

What is “inheritance?” What are we if not the descendants of our ancestors, DNA that streams from the pool? Vivien's grappling of her antecessors, especially her complex relationships regarding her father, mother, and brother drew us into the tangled roots of this family tree. A tree, replanted by the Foundation. Uprooted by Vivien herself after the rot her father caused. And though we may think that no one could ever find fault in those with the bravery to do the right thing, history shows us that the whistleblowers must also pay their sum of flesh. The themes expressed in your writing captivated us; can someone live in the Foundation's chiaroscuro when their morals are starkly black and white? And what are the costs — interpersonal, social, cultural — for pursuing and enacting justice? Vivien stands upon the gravestone of her family name, her unique dedication to principle ushering a new order within the Foundation. She is destined for succession, carved by her own two hands. We are so incredibly happy to invite you into the Foundation.

EMPLOYEE ID 5027-0983-1; 𝐴𝑈 𝐹𝐴𝐼𝑇.

𝐍𝐚𝐦𝐞 Vivien Huifen Jiāng 𝐀𝐠𝐞 31 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫/𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐬 cis woman, she/her 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦 Stephanie Hsu 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬 retired

PROFILE.

The prudent and perceptive [𝐴𝑈 𝐹𝐴𝐼𝑇] understands better than anyone that there is no secret that should be shielded from the Committee’s watchful eyes. They proved their commitment to maintaining the integrity of the Foundation when they cut ties with their very own father, a Foundation Administrator at the Decommissioning Department, by blowing the whistle on an underhanded deal he had with Andersen Robotics and Prometheus Labs for the sale of anomalous objects slated for decommissioning. Their part in that bombshell exposé earned them the credibility they needed to shed the accusations that their advancement through the ranks was due to the efforts of family and friends in high places. It certainly was enough for the Foundation to heed their call to preemptively apprehend [𝐾𝐼𝑁𝐺'𝑆 𝐺𝐴𝑀𝐵𝐼𝑇], a prior mentor, on charges of [REDACTED]. If it were anyone other than [𝐴𝑈 𝐹𝐴𝐼𝑇], many would have suspected personal resentments were behind their damning report. However, there is no doubt that they have been a useful, if self-appointed, asset to the Committee’s efforts. Now they will serve this purpose in an official capacity, imbued with exceptional powers despite being a rather junior member within the Broken Scales of Themis. If the agents assembled to form MTF Chi-00 disappoint their mandate, [𝐴𝑈 𝐹𝐴𝐼𝑇] can be counted upon to drag their indiscretions to light. — Internal Memo from the Ethics Committee.

LAST ASSIGNMENT.

JR. ARCHIVIST;  Site-7,  Recordkeeping  and  Information  Security  Administration  (RAISA). Preservation of digital archives, amending and updating SCiPNET pages, providing ticket support, and catching cybersecurity leaks and potential infohazards.

INTERRELATIONS OF NOTE.

𝑂𝐿𝐷 𝑆𝑃𝑂𝑅𝑇. You’ve heard of the agent with the “perfect record” but this will be the first time you get to meet with them 1-on-1 — and you must admit, you’re dying to talk to them. Any tips and tricks they’d be willing to give a junior member of Chi-00 are bound to come in handy for your future career at the Foundation. Unless, of course, the good 𝑂𝐿𝐷 𝑆𝑃𝑂𝑅𝑇 turns out to be less than the absolute paragon of protocol they make themselves out to be. In which case, your sense of justice always comes first.

𝐹𝐿𝐼𝑀𝐹𝐿𝐴𝑀. You observed this star’s meteoric rise, and while some questioned their success story you could not disagree more. How could anyone doubt them when they come from such a brilliant legacy, and were mentored by the esteemed 𝑅𝐸𝑉𝐸𝑅𝑆𝐸 𝐸𝑁𝐺𝐼𝑁𝐸𝐸𝑅? Yes, their ostentatious self-obsession grates a little, but you just know in your heart the two of you are birds of a feather. This certainly isn’t motivated by anything so humiliating as projection, but maybe they just need a little help to outgrow their inheritance — like you did.

𝑄𝑈𝑂𝑇𝐸 𝑈𝑁𝑄𝑈𝑂𝑇𝐸. You were the first human to notice this hacker within the Foundation’s cyberspace so the fact that you are on a team with them is… intriguing, to say the least. After the special briefing you received regarding this new acquisition, you’ve found yourself in the position of their private warden, not that the newly minted “𝑄𝑈𝑂𝑇𝐸 𝑈𝑁𝑄𝑈𝑂𝑇𝐸” is aware of this fact. In any case, you’ll take on this secret assignment with the same dedication you put into all your work — because while it was never said outright, you’re well aware that the consequences of a poor peer review will be… final.

EPILOGUE.