Security Clearance?

[Troutnoodler]

Something to consider for Our Hero...

****

"A Hypothetical Meeting..."

The guardsman sighed. "Questor, the Council feels that letting this sort of information out to the public at this time would be a bad idea. We don't have enough information about exactly what was down there and what it all means. You yourself made the connection that it was *not* one of Rosad's labs..."

Quentyn snorts. "So. You still want me to lie?"

The guardsman shakes his head. "No. We don't want you to say anything at all for now. Please hear me out..."

"No way! It's not right, the public deserves to know!" cries Emmet.

The guardsman waves his hands, shushing him. "Please, please! Just hear me out?"

Both Emmet and Quentyn folds their arms and wait, gloweringly. "Go on."

The guardsman sighs. "Okay. We think we know a lot about what went on down there, but there's still a lot we *don't* know. Like just *who* built that lab and whether they're still around. There's still too many unanswered questions, and as *you* know all too well," he says quietly looking at Emmet, "telling people only half the details, or worse, *incorrect* details, can be more dangerous than telling them nothing at all."

The young reporter figeted slightly. "Hey, I just went with what I heard from everyone else,"

The guard nodded. "Precisely. And we all thought the Questor here was...how's it go? 'Eight feet tall and farting thunderbolts'? And I liked his original picture, too."

Both Quentyn and Emmet blush.

"But I have to say, I like this version better," he soothes. "This Questor is someone I can relate to. Good folk, doing a tough job that nobody else wants to do."

Quentyn coughs softly. "Ah, thanks...but get to the point?"

"Right. My point is, going off with only half the info is a dangerous thing. It would mean the rumor mill would take off faster than the 'Fact and Opinion', or *any* newscrip could keep up with it to keep people calm and informed. So, here's what the Council is proposing."

Both Quentyn and Emmet lean forward in expectation.

"We take you into our confidence." The guardsman says rather proudly, as if offering a very generous gift.

Quentyn looks dubious. "And that gets us...what, exactly?"

"You give your word that you won't say anything about this event until we give you the all-clear. In return for our trusting you, we hire you as a Questor to help us turn up more information about this lab and who's responsible for it's creation. Moreover, there are people who would want to hire you for honest quests that require a certain level of discretion, and the Council could provide those people with reccomendations as to who they should hire."

"Also, the more the Council can trust you, the more jobs they can hire you for."

Emmet cleared his throat. "Uh...so what about the 'Fact and Opinion'? What about my story?"

The guardsman nodded. "You would get the exclusive rights to the whole, complete story once we know what's really going on. Also, we would hire you as an independent researcher to help us get to the bottom of this whole mess. Someone without a political 'agenda', and not likely to sugar-coat the facts. Someone the Council can trust to tell them what they need to know and hear, not just what's popular."

Both Emmet and Quentyn snorted. "Sounds like you want us under your thumb to me," Quentyn growled, and Emmet nodded in agreement.

The guardsman shrugged. "Basically. Think of it as a 'carrot and stick' approach. The carrot is both of you gain the trust of the Council and the Guardsmen's Guild, and that gets you *both* very powerful connections. And if you keep your reputations for being painfully honest-which shouldn't be a problem for either of you-nobody on the Council will try to bullyrag you. They won't dare. And there would be a lot of open doors for the both of you."

Both Emmet and Quentyn's eyes widen. "Okay, so what's the stick?"

The guardsman shrugged. "Break the Council's trust, and you make some very powerful, very important, very wealthy people *very* angry at you. A lot of very big doors would slam in your face as well." He didn't say more, but then he didn't have to.

Quentyn and Emmet look at each other, then at the Guardsman. "Uh...can we get back to you on this?"

The Guardsman nodded. "Aye. But don't wait too long, please?" Both Emmet and Quentyn nod, and the Guardsman walked out.

In the military, we called this sort of thing "having a security clearance". It got you many things, but also heaped you with many responsibilities.

[Sharuuk]

Or more succintly put: The Council's afraid of what Quentyn knows and what Emmet might print and want's to control them both.

Questors are free agents.....evidently something the Council isn't used to dealing with. Questors also are legendary....Quentyn is a powerful legend come to life that could create quite a loyal following.....something else beaureaucrats and politicians dislike immensely.

Shaaruuk

[SolidusRaccoon]

I have security clearance level 7 in Star Fleet.

[The JAM]

[...unWARP!!!]

Good evening.


OR.....


Quentyn writes everything that happened in his journal, and that journal gets..........misplaced, he he he....

[Persephone_Kore]

I could be wrong here, but my understanding of the practice of security clearances is that while they do have the effect of keeping information from the general populace, the point is (or at least is supposed to be) that making certain information public is dangerous because then enemies can get hold of it.

If the council believed that there were in fact people currently and intentionally responsible for the attacks, or even negligent in finding the lab and letting it sit instead of being safely dismantled, and that these people were more likely to be apprehended in the absence of a public announcement (which might push them to cover their tracks or let loose something else nasty) -- then, I think, they could have asked Quentyn and Emmet to keep quiet (temporarily) on those grounds, and I think further that neither Quentyn nor Emmet would have resented the request nearly so much.

Though Quentyn could legitimately point out that such people might already have been alerted by the removal of the lab....

[StrangeWulf13]

I have security clearance level 7 in Star Fleet.

You still need to pay me for that. You'd be surprised how tough the security is, even in a socialist paradise.

Friggin' firewalls...

[Ringcaat]

Very nice, Troutnoodler! This kind of development would be a fascinating direction for the story to go, especially if they say yes. And I like the dialogue.

Sadly, I have trouble believing that the council would actually take seriously the idea of hiring a Questor to do their work for them, no matter how successful he's been to date.

[Zorro]

Well you have to know that anyone with a security clearance can't talk about it, or the level or EVEN put it on a resume to the federal government that granted it!

It is you know a secret.

[Fusion]

I have security clearance level 7 in Star Fleet.

Is this an online game? If so post the address!

[SolidusRaccoon]

I have security clearance level 7 in Star Fleet.

Is this an online game? If so post the address!

Nope, only in my dreams. I have me a big starship and I get all the alien moon princesses

[Astral]

You meen the one's with three assests

[Mwalimu]

You meen the one's with three assests

"And now for something completely different..."

[Sehvekah]

You meen the one's with three assests

"And now for something completely different..."

Actually, no, nothing diffrent is needed here.

Mmmmmmmm, "assets".