Winter fragment

Krisla-Tenu waved Rhaek over, and he tossed a datastick to her as he sat down. The chair creaked under his weight as he settled and crossed his leg. “How’s our man?” she asked idly. Pulsing icons signalled updates to a number of projects.

“On his way – the couriers reported back not that long ago.”

“Any problems?”

“Not for us to worry about – insertion should take place in a couple of days.” Rhaek steepled his fingers. “So – what’s our next step? Preparation for extraction or do we have time for some work on the side?” Her terminal chirped, and she held up a hand to quiet him a moment. He got up quietly and left the room.

Jerrek’s thin voice whispered in her ear. “Sorry to break in – can you talk right now?”

“If you’re quick, I’m just about to go into a meeting.”

“Okay – quickly then; I’ve been going through the logs and I think there’s a set-up in progress.”
“In what way?”

“Looks like someone’s trying to get past the Challenge protocols – I’ve found reference to the hiring of a cybrid from the Hunters’ Guild – not sure by who though.”

“The Guild isn’t co-operating?” She rose from her chair, skirting around her desk and leaning out the door. “Rhaek! Get back here now.”

“No – not even in an unofficial way – they’re claiming client confidentiality.” Jerrek continued. Rhaek came back, trotting down the hall. “The original encrypted notices are pretty fragmented, but I’ll see how well Corran and her crew can do with them.”