The Inquisitor's Disgrace

The air felt thick, moving languidly in curlicues, evidenced by the stream of smoke from the ancient smoking implement. The Inquisitor (for lack of a better term; it was a fair appellation, as he was the one asking all the questions) stood tall and arrogantly above the seated tech security officer.

Clearly The Inquisitor was "In Charge" (capitals necessary as he was obviously Someone Important), for not only was he interrogating the captive, he held a smoldering cigarette.

Cigarettes had been outlawed for over a century, when it was learned they not only caused cancer, but also dementia and poor driving ability. Only someone of the highest station could even find cigarettes on Earth 2, let alone be clueless (or haughty) enough to smoke one.

"In Charge" had folded his left arm across his midsection and held the elbow of the other. The right arm was held aloft, palm angled toward the sky, with the cigarette perched between his index and middle fingers. In this regal pose, he started with the questions again.

“Have you retrieved all your keys onSteemit?” he demanded quietly.

“Yes, yes I have, my lord.” The captive’s jaw clenched and he nearly spat the last two words, which he uttered against his will, the formality necessary in this questioning.

“Tell me each of these key’s functions and restrictions.”

“One uses the Posting key for everyday logins, to make comments, post messages, edit, vote, resteem, follow or mute other accounts,” began the lowly tech-sec.

“One uses the Active key when needed for funds transfers, power ups or downs, conversions, converting Steem Dollars, voting for witnesses, updating profile details and avatar, and placing market orders,” he continued.

“The Owner key is only used out of necessity because one may use it to change any of the account’s keys, included the Owner key itself. It should be stored offline, and only used in case one’s account has been compromised.”

“The Memo key is used when one wishes to encrypt or decrypt the memos sent along with funds transfers,” he confidently recited.

“The Master key is used to generate all the other keys, including the Owner key, and the only time one should require it is if one is recovering one’s account. Keep it safely offline for your safety," and protection from higher ups, he thought.

“Very good,” The Inquisitor admitted reluctantly. This tech-sec may have an attitude but he certainly is quick, he thought to himself.

“How is your Owner key kept, and where do you keep it?” inquired the smoker of the cigarette.

“Written down on a piece of paper, which I keep …” The speaker stopped abruptly. “Which I keep in a private place no one would ever think to search. And the digital backups of it and the master key are likewise concealed in other separate, secure locations.”

Bah, thought The Inquisitor. They always get that wrong, willingly surrendering the location of their most prized possession, thinking because of my station I am entitled to the answer.

He tried a different tack. “Do you know how to transfer your Steem token to another Steemit user account?” he questioned softly again.

“Yes,” replied the captive with a grin. The Capital-"I" Inquistor reddened at the slight jab.

“How then?” the arrogant enquirer demanded.

“One must click on the down arrow next to the number of Steem tokens held in the wallet section of one’s account, then click Transfer in the dropdown box."

"Then one enters the name of the account to whom they wish to make the transfer, then the number of tokens, and a memo, if desired. One then clicks Next," he recounted patiently.

"Finally, one may enter a memo if desired on the confirmation screen, then one clicks Okay to confirm,” concluded the tech-sec.

“And how does one power up one’s Steem?” asked The Inquisitor pointedly, leering at the tech-sec.

“One uses the same dropdown box as the Transfer next to the Steem number, but selects Power Up instead, enters the quantity of Steem, and clicks Power Up,” he finished efficiently.

“Release him,” said the In Charge one regrettedly. “You have done well this day, tech-sec, but do not think of thoughts as you did, or we shall know, and we shall meet again,” he threatened.

“It’s been a distinct pleasure, I’m sure,” the tech-sec taunted the defeated Questioner. “Buh-bye now.” He knew he’d won this day, and even the subtle lack of courtesy would be overlooked for a brilliant performance such as his.

The Inquisitor growled quietly. He stubbed out his cigarette on the table and forcibly threw the butt on the floor, showing the impotence he felt. He was ashamed and vowed vengeance for this humiliation by someone of little station.

To be continued?

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