Target acquired. It’s time for another installment of Tracker, the official show of the Bounty Hunters Guild. I’m your host, Garret Coliga, with you today from Reis where I’m pleased to report that operations are back up and running in Nexus.
For those who haven’t heard, the Guild suspended operations here a few days ago to quarantine data-systems and patch an exploit that allowed any user to access privileged information, create illegitimate bounties, or even alter or erase valid ones. This caused chaos and confusion among members who could no longer trust that the information provided by the Guild was accurate.
Guild officials weren’t the only ones to notice the issue. Criminals eagerly sought out infected terminals to change Guild records to suit them. Most removed the price off their heads, but some were bold enough to create kill-on-sight bounties for innocent civilians and even prominent bounty hunters. This resulted in several wrongful deaths before the Guild put out a call to stop all operations until the situation was under control.
Yesterday, normal operations resumed after the Guild announced that the backdoor had been successfully closed and bounties restored to their status prior to the incident. Officials were only able to make this claim with confidence because, in an unexpected turn of events, the individual responsible for all this trouble contacted me wanting to make things right.
Now, let me make things clear. I’ve never met this person and I did not like being dragged into this mess. In exchange for important information that helped close the exploit, the individual asked to be on my show for five minutes.
I’ll admit, I struggled with this decision. Agreeing to it could set a dangerous precedent, but I realized that a quick resolution was in the best interest of the Guild and the residents of Nexus. Plus, in my conversations with the individual there were moments of genuine concern over the chaos he caused. He seemed to genuinely want to help stop the problem, so I came to Nexus to deliver on my side of the deal.
Guess it’s fair to say my next guest needs no further introduction. He claims he wants to explain his actions and knows there’s a big mute button in front of my face if the conversation deviates from the agreed upon topics. Listen closely folks, especially if you’re in Nexus.
Why don’t you just introduce yourself.
Anonymous: I’d rather not. I’ll just say that I’m responsible for what happened. You’re a local bounty hunter, right?
Anonymous: Yes. So what should I call you?
Anonymous: Whatever you want. I want to come clean, but don’t feel comfortable mentioning too much about myself for obvious reasons. That makes sense. You’ve earned quite the reputation. Seven guild members are dead because of you.
Anonymous: I know and I’m sorry. I never intended for this to happen. That backdoor was only intended to work on one terminal. I never expected it to work on every terminal I routed the signal through. Why don’t you explain to everyone why you risked routing the signal through other terminals?
Anonymous: It was a way to buy me time, you know, in case the Guild noticed the backdoor. So you were covering your tracks?
Anonymous: I was trying to keep my head above water. I’ve got people who depend on me and well… I guess my commitment to them drove me to be a little creative. That’s one way to spin it. So what was the plan? Open this backdoor so you could increase the bounty on anyone you were about to bring in?
Anonymous: No, nothing like that. I wasn’t going to change anything. That would’ve drawn too much attention. I just wanted easy access to information. And better bounties?
Anonymous: Yeah, ok, after a while it gets frustrating chasing bottom feeders. Seemed like snagging one or two bigger fish every once in a while wasn’t gonna hurt anyone. Didn’t anyone ever teach you that two wrongs don’t make a right?
Anonymous: You haven’t spent much time in Nexus. Rules don’t matter much around here. Strange attitude for a bounty hunter, don’t you think?
Anonymous: Hell no. All the bounty hunters I know have never been afraid to get their hands dirty for the greater good. And look where that led you. How are you going to make this right?
Anonymous: Look, I know I messed up. I’ve already helped close the backdoor and turn the exploit over to the Guild so it never happens again. I could’ve easily sold that information on the black market and made way more on it than any damn bounty. At least give me credit for that. Yeah, sure. Congratulations on not making a bigger mess.
Anonymous: Honestly, at this point, I don’t know what else I could do besides come on your show to admit my mistake. I’m taking a huge risk by doing this, but I really believe it’s the right thing to do. People need to have faith that they can trust the information given out by the Guild. You know what I think the right thing to do is? Turn yourself in.
Anonymous: That’s not an option. Like I said, people depend on me. Yeah, I figured you wouldn’t be too keen on it. Guess we’ll have to do it the hard way then Kiyoshi.
Anonymous: What’s that? That’s your name, right? Kiyoshi Culver.
Anonymous: No… why would you think that? Look, Kiyoshi, you’re obviously a smart guy, but you’re also a little sloppy. The encryption on your comms is solid, but nothing the Guild couldn’t crack. I’ll admit, at first I was pissed that you dragged me into all of this, but the more we talked the better we got at cracking your encryption and tracking your signal. Honestly, this call was nothing more than a way to keep you distracted and in one place for a few minutes.
Anonymous: What are you… [ Loud crash ]
Anonymous: Hey! HEY! And to show people what happens if you mess with the Guild.
[ Loud noise and shouting ]
Sounds like our team has arrived, and my job here is done. Hell of a way to start the show, don’t you think?
Well, not sure about you all, but I could use a quick break. Hopefully, we will have an update on Culver’s capture when Tracker returns. Don’t go anywhere.