It had been a long time since 004 had been back in Bretonia. Eight years in a Gallic POW camp wasn't the vacation he would've asked for. Fortunately, his cover held and the Gallians never got so much as a hint that he was anything other than a low ranking pilot in the Crayter Military. After the initial questioning, he received no attention beyond the normal beatings that any other prisoner received.
Even though the camp was staffed by conscripts and incompetents, their security was solid and professional. He spent his time learning everything he could about his hosts. Their language, culture, military structure, and anything else he could learn. He eventually managed to escape the camp and steal a freighter. After leaving Gallic space, he transmitted a short report to his handler back at MI6. Just a simple check-in to let MI6 know he was alive and uncompromised, and a request for orders.
While awaiting a response, he decided to maintain his cover for the time being. He set a course to the nearest Crayterian base for debriefing. The Crayterian officers were sympathetic, and after his debriefing, he was given indefinite leave to decide if he wanted to return to CR service or retire after his ordeal.
It was soon after this that he received orders to report to Cambridge for debriefing. He didn't recognize this Director Weber, but the recognition codes embedded in the message were correct. With a fresh set of Crayterian travel documents and eight years of back pay in his account, he notified the Crayter Military that he was taking the offered discharge and then booked passage to Cambridge.
Upon arrival on Cambridge, he was pulled out of customs by a pair of no-nonsense men in BPA uniforms. From their demeanor, however, 004 deduced that they were more likely members of MI5. He was led to a nondescript ground vehicle and placed roughly in the back cargo section. He was unable to tell where the vehicle was going, but he suspected they were taking a more circuitous route than necessary. When they arrived at his destination, he was removed from the vehicle and taken to a blank, featureless room. There was no furniture of any kind, and the temperature in the room was just a few degrees too cool for comfort. After a few moments, a flat, modulated voice came over an unseen speaker. For the next several hours, he was debriefed in exacting detail, questioned about everything he had seen, heard, and done since he dropped out of contact. His interregator often repeated questions at random times, checking for inconsistencies.
They must've been satisfied with his answers because soon after answering the last question, he was moved to modest, but comfortable quarters. He was still locked in, but he was able to clean up, relieve himself, and get a decent meal on request. After a few days of comfortable boredom, he received word that the Director was satisfied with his story and that he would be allowed to return to duty.
The following days were spent familiarizing himself with the current military and political situation, brushing up on his skills, and getting a full medical examination and advanced treatment for the injuries he sustained in the POW camp. When he was deemed ready, he got word of his new deep-cover assignment.
Gallia.
He couldn't dispute the need for an operative there, and he was easily the most familiar with the assignment. Still, he couldn't help but feel some misgivings at returning to Gallia. He put aside his misgivings, however, and accepted the assignment. He received plastic surgery and subtle genetic modifications. He no longer resembled the man who spent eight years as a prisoner, and a genetic scan would confirm that he was Gallic native. He learned his cover story inside and out until he knew it better than his own life.
When he was ready, 004 was smuggled onto New Paris to take up the life his cover story called for. After about a month, when he was sure he was undetected, he walked into a Royal Navy recruitment center and volunteered to serve. It was time to begin a new life.
