Morlani: The New Order

"This is quite the report. This happened when?"

"Last night, sir. I knew you were leaving this morning, and I wanted to make sure you had all the information before your departure."

"You've been very busy."

"Two men are dead, sir. Employees. If that's not worth staying up for, then I'm not worthy of the uniform."

"Have you modified your uniform?"

"Perhaps slightly. Pockets, piping, and... and some light tailoring."

"I know one of these men. Kravas."

"That's another reason I wanted this to get immediate attention."

"He was a squad commander on Four."

"He's fallen a great deal since then. He was a Sentry Corporal here on One."

"No mystery there. He's lucky he wasn't killed years ago. One of the most unpleasant people I've ever met. There's no suspect at this point?"

"We have some excellent leads."

"[A human with dark features asking about a Kenari girl, who might have been working in the establishment.] Are there no witnesses to the actual crime?"

"It's usually quite busy there."

"Apparently not."

"This happened just outside the district, at the plaza entrance to the causeway."

"I know."

"There's an intersection..."

"I said I know it. Were they robbed?"

"No, sir."

"Tough case. Bad timing."

"I'm sure that in several days, with the proper resources, I can bring this case to a..."

"Stop! And I don't mean just the talking. I mean stop. This case appears to bear all the hallmarks of what I like to describe as regrettable misadventure."

"Sir?"

"Two dedicated Pre-Mor employees caught in the sad orbit of a rare calamity."

"I don't understand."

"I want you to conjure a suitable accident."

"But..."

"And let's make sure it's on the far side of the plaza. Let's get it outside the Leisure Zone."

"But they were murdered."

"No. They were killed in a fight... They were in a brоthеl, which we're not supposed to have, the expensive one, which they shouldn't be able to afford, drinking Revnog, which we're not supposed to allow. Both of them supposedly on the job, which is a dismissible offense. They clearly harassed a human with dark features and chose the wrong person to annoy. I suspect they died rushing to aid someone in distress. Nothing too heroic. We don't need a parade. They died being helpful. Something sad but inspiring in a mundane sort of way... You look stricken, Deputy Inspector. Are you absorbing my meaning here?"

"Trying, sir."

"When I said bad timing, I wasn't referring to the fact that you spent all night worrying this."

"I meant that I am on my way this very morning to an Imperial Regional Command review, where I'll be asked to make a report about our crime rates, and the goal of that speech, should you ever be asked to deliver it, is brevity."

"Minimizing the time the Empire spends thinking about Preox-Morlana benefits our superiors and, by extension, everyone here at the Pre-Mor Security Inspection team, which at the moment includes you... Don't put your feet on my desk in my absence, and let's have an accident report waiting when I get back."