“Lay it on me.”
“Well for starters there’s no direct relation. In fact historical records suggest the surname was quite common during the period immediately following the first minor exodus. A placeholder of sorts adopted by war refugees to help temper widespread ethnic discrimination in the wake of the First Crusade.”
“So a coincidence then?”
The woman on the other side of the transmission hummed in response to the inquiry, during which time Lux made another precautionary scan of her surroundings. The call taking place at a nondescript corner store just off the main arcade.
“No, for a smattering of reasons this surname has largely fallen out of use in the last century. Which makes it highly unusual that two individuals who’d stand to benefit from low profiles would divulge their full names.”
“Maybe. But unlike Benecia Emica nee Legs made an effort to keep her identity under wraps. At least for the duration of the convoy. Not sure what was going through her head after arrival.”
Lux briefly recalled the meal from the other day, their first back at Riga, when Cade casually dropped the name Emica Lader and found himself covered in warm iced tea as a result. He’d been understandably confused by this reaction and even more so when she threatened to lob the remainder of the beverage if he didn’t cough up his source. Imagine her surprise when he directed her to the report submitted by C274’s security representative.
“Whatever her actual reason is we’ve decided to interpret it as a willingness to play ball. In which case we have you to thank. Overlooking that accessory of hers not only manufactured some rapport but also created an opportunity for us to infiltrate the region’s drug market at a time when it’s most volatile.”
“Just make sure whoever you send exercises caution. That woman’s not so naive that a few laughs over some juice and cookies will distract her from our intentions.”
The blonde reached out and plucked a tabloid from the top of a magazine rack set beside the call station, the cover featuring rumors of a scandalous affair concerning a Legater and their supposed mistress.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“Now, concerning the request you submitted pertaining to the recovery of your friend’s remains...”
“No dice huh.”
Given the timeframe encompassing both Youn’s passing and her subsequent attempt to have him rejoin his father, the response couldn’t have been anything but a resounding no. And while the official reason would probably fall somewhere under the catch-all of logistical shortcomings, Lux had to imagine her superior had some additional insight on the refusal to organize a return trip to the site.
“To be frank you’re only real chance at seeing them recovered would be a second paleontological resource inventory of the area. Granted if what you and the others reported regarding a large-scale system collapse is accurate, an argument could be made that previously undiscovered sections of tunnels could have become accessible. Just keep in mind that even in this hypothetical scenario it would still take years to fund and organize another PRI.”
Lux briefly played with the idea of sending an anonymous tip to the museum housing Lamella. The contents of which would center around a second even larger specimen slumbering beneath Morg’s coup de gras. A fabricated claim of course, but one she didn’t anticipate losing sleep over. And if nothing else it would do as Joyce said and point the curators in a favorable direction.
Uwah, she’d be pissed if she knew I was still referring to her as Joyce instead of Second Lieutenant. Best to wrap things up before she got herself in trouble.
“Well, if that’s everything, I’ll be off. We’ve finally got some outbound convoys scheduled for today and you’d better believe I’m going to be on one.”
“What, current locale already lost its charm?”
“As I’m sure your aware public perception of the LCF basically did a one-eighty over-night. Can hardly walk down the arcade in uniform without being applauded by some jackass who probably wanted our heads a few days ago.”
“They do say that fear is the death of reason, not that I’m excusing the actions of those who broke quarantine. Those fools accomplished nothing outside of extending the wait period for inoculations due to the delay in distribution lines they caused. Not that any of those ‘jackasses’ realize or plan to take responsibility for it.”
“How is it you sound more annoyed than I do?”
“You’re not the only one going through it as of late...”
Before the lieutenant could elaborate the sound of a confused feminine voice reaching out to the blonde security officer interrupted the call.
“Shit, that’s my cue. Until next time!”
*click
